Sale shuts down Royals, Sox win 5-1

Associated Press

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Chris Sale gave up four singles in eight scoreless innings as the Chicago White Sox defeated the Kansas City Royals 5-1 on Sunday.

Alexei Ramirez and Tyler Flowers each drove in a pair of runs as the White Sox won the series finale after dropping the first two games.

Sale (2-0) struck out six and walked one. In his previous four starts against the Royals, the White Sox had backed him with one run, enough to beat James Shields 1-0 in the 2012 opener.

Shields (0-1) took the loss in this one, too, giving up a run on five hits, striking out six, walking none and hitting two batters in seven innings.

Ramirez's drove in the game's first run in the seventh when Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar knocked down his grounder but had no play for Conor Gillaspie at home.

Sale allowed a runner past second only in the third inning, when Lorenzo Cain and Omar Infante singled and Ramirez committed a throwing error. Sale wiggled out of trouble by retiring Danny Valencia on a pop up. Cain had two of the hits off Sale.

The White Sox scored four runs in the ninth off Royals left-handed relievers Tim Collins and Francisley Bueno. The inning included a Flowers' two-run single and an RBI double by Ramirez.

Alex Gordon singled home Eric Hosmer in the ninth off Matt Lindstrom for the only Kansas City run.

The Royals won their first replay challenge of the season when Marcus Semien was ruled safe at first, but it was overturned on a review that took 68 seconds. White Sox manager Robin Ventura challenged that Hosmer was out at first to complete a double play in the sixth, but replays indicated he was safe.

Plate umpire Greg Gibson issued a warning to both benches in the sixth when Infante had to jump out of the way of Sale's pitch way inside after Shields had hit two batters, including Jose Abreu in the top of the inning.