Cubs beat Royals thanks to close-call bunt in 9th

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Tony Campana hit a bunt single and scored the go-ahead run on an error in the ninth inning to help the Cubs beat the Kansas City Royals 6-4 Friday night.

With one out, Campana popped up a bunt against Aaron Crow (2-1) that Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas appeared to catch at his shoetops. Plate umpire Jeff Kellogg ruled that it hit the grass and Campana was safe at first.

He went to third on D.J. LeMahieu's single to right and came home when Kosuke Fukudome hit a bouncer that went off the glove of second baseman Chris Getz for an error. Starlin Castro added an RBI single that helped send the Royals to their sixth straight loss.

Sean Marshall (4-2) pitched a perfect eighth.

Bruce Chen, who came off the disabled list Friday and made his first start since May 5, left after six-plus innings, allowing four runs on eight hits, while walking two and striking out four. Chen was out with a strained left lat.

Cubs starter Ryan Dempster allowed four runs, two earned, on nine hits, while striking out four and walking one.

Jeff Francoeur hit a two-run homer in Kansas City's three-run fourth inning. It was his 10th home run, but his first since May 22 against St. Louis, a span of 112 at-bats without a home run. Francoeur homered after Gordon reached on Dempster's throwing error. Melky Cabrera's two-out single scored Alcides Escobar with the other run of the inning.

Gordon, who extended his hitting streak to 11 games, singled to lead off the second and wound up scoring on Brayan Pena's sacrifice fly to left.

The Cubs had two doubles, a single and two walks in the fourth, but converted that into only two runs when they had two runners thrown out on the bases. Francoeur threw out Geovany Soto at third from right field. Gordon threw out Alfonso Soriano at the plate attempting to score from first on Lou Montanez's double.

Kansas City outfielders lead the majors with 28 assists, including 13 at the plate.

Aramis Ramirez led off the fourth with a double and scored on Carlos Pena's single. Pena came home on Montanez's double before Soriano was out to end the inning.

The Cubs had five hits in the seventh, but scored only one run, on Montanez's double-play grounder that scored Carlos Pena, who led off the inning with a double. Ramirez, who had three hits, struck out to end the inning with the bases loaded.

Notes: Cubs RHP Kerry Wood, on the disabled list with a right index finger blister, threw a side session Friday. Manager Mike Quade said he anticipated Wood would be activated Wednesday. .The Cubs made their first visit to Kauffman Stadium since 2000. . The Royals optioned rookie LHP Everett Teaford to Triple-A Omaha to make room for Chen.