Royals pound White Sox for 7th straight win
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Mike Moustakas hit his third home run in four games and Jeff Francoeur hit a three-run homer and the Kansas City Royals beat the Chicago White Sox 10-3 Saturday night for their seventh straight victory.
The winning streak is the Royals’ longest since winning seven consecutive Sept. 13-18, 2008. The White Sox have lost seven in a row, matching their longest losing streak of the year.
Moustakas, who had three hits, homered in the fifth with Eric Hosmer, who had doubled aboard. Moustakas and Salvador Perez singled in the fourth and both scored on Alcides Esocbar’s triple.
Francoeur hit his 19th home run in the eighth with Melky Cabrera and Hosmer on base.
Perez and Cabrera each contributed three singles to the Royals’ 18-hit attack. Alcides Escobar doubled and tripled and drove in two runs.
Moustakas, Hosmer and Perez, a trio of highly regarded rookies, combined to go 7 for 14 with two RBIs and scored five runs.
Everett Teaford (2-0), a rookie left-hander, has won both of his starts since moving into the rotation after 23 relief appearances.
He held the White Sox to four hits and one run — Alex Rios’ homer to lead off the second — while walking two and striking out four.
In beating Seattle and Chicago, Teaford has allowed one run and seven hits in 11 innings, while walking three and striking out nine.
Teaford pitched out of trouble in the third and fourth innings. He stranded runners at second and third in the third after a Moustakas error and a walk. Teaford retired Gordon Beckham on a fly to center to end the fourth with the bases full.
White Sox rookie right-hander Zack Stewart (2-5), who was acquired in a July 27 trade with Toronto, allowed five runs and 11 hits in five innings. He has given up 18 hits and 11 runs in 10 innings in losing his past two starts.
The White Sox scored two runs in the seventh off Nate Adcock, yet another Royals rookie. Tyler Flowers scored on an Adcock wild pitch, while Brent Morel came home on a Juan Pierre ground out.
Adcock worked the final three innings for his first major league save.
Notes: RHP Luis Mendoza will be promoted from Triple-A Omaha and start Tuesday for the Royals against Detroit. Mendoza went 12-5 with a Pacific Coast League-leading 2.18 ERA. He went 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA in two playoff starts. Omaha wrapped up the PCL championship Saturday with Lance Zawadski getting four hits and David Lough hitting a two-run HR in an 11-6 victory at Sacramento to sweep the series. ... Royals closer Joakim Soria remains sidelined with a strained right hamstring, which he injured Sunday. ... White Sox DH Adam Dunn is 4 for 87 against left-handed pitching after a fourth-inning single off Teaford. ... LHP John Danks, who is 0-3 with a 10.91 ERA in his past three starts, will start Sunday for the White Sox. ... LHP Bruce Chen, who struck out eight and held Minnesota to two hits in eight scoreless innings in winning his previous start, will be the Kansas City starter in the finale of this four-game series.