Perez, Moustakas power Royals past reeling White Sox

(TSX / STATS) -- KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Kansas City Royals overpowered the Chicago White Sox with five home runs to hike their winning streak to four games.

Salvador Perez hit a two-run blast and Mike Moustakas homered twice as the Royals rallied to down the reeling White Sox 7-2 on Saturday night.

Brandon Moss and Jorge Bonifacio added solo shots.

The White Sox lost their eighth in a row. The Royals are tied for second in the American League Central, 1 1/2 games behind the Cleveland Indians.

Kansas City trailed 2-0 entering the sixth inning before Lorenzo Cain led off with a walk to finish the night for starter Mike Pelfrey.

Left-hander David Holmberg (1-3) relieved Pelfrey, who walked six but had allowed two hits.

After retiring Eric Hosmer, Holmberg gave up a two-run homer to Perez to tie it. Moustakas promptly homered, marking the seventh time this season the Royals have gone back-to-back. Moss homered two batters later.

"It was a good inning for us," Moustakas said. "Salvy with the big home run to tie the game. I got a good pitch to hit also and put a pretty good swing on it and it ended up carrying out of the ball park.

"Then Mossy a huge homer behind it. We just put some good swings on some good pitches and they ended up getting out of the yard, a good sixth."

Moustakas homered again in the eighth for his sixth multi-homer game of his career.

"He's definitely locked in," Royals manager Ned Yost said.

Bonifacio led off the seventh with his 12th home run.

Scott Alexander (2-3) picked up the victory after replacing Jason Vargas in the sixth.

Vargas, who had given up 12 runs in 7 2/3 innings in losing his first two July starts, held the White Sox to two runs in the first five innings.

"Obviously, it's pretty hot out there," Vargas said. "It's just one of those things you have to deal with this time of year. In Kansas City, you know you're going to get one or two of these crazy heat waves."

Melky Cabrera homered on an 0-1 Vargas offering in the third. He poked it 360 feet into the left-field seats for his 13th home run of the season.

Cabrera's two-out double to the right-center gap in the fifth scored Tyler Saladino, who had walked. Cabrera had three of the five hits off Vargas in the first five innings and finish with four hits.

"He's a professional hitter, period," White Sox manager Rick Renteria said. "He loves the game, he loves to play. His at-bats and his experience, the time that he's had, obviously, he's gained a lot of knowledge from it and he takes it to the plate every single opportunity that he's had."

Cain led off the fourth with a single for the first Kansas City hit and Hosmer drew his second walk. Perez, however, nearly grounded into a triple play. He hit a slow roller to third baseman Yolmer Sanchez, who stepped on the bag and threw to second forcing out Hosmer. Perez just did beat Yoan Moncada's relay throw to first.

Alex Gordon singled with two outs in the fifth and Whit Merrifield walked. Pelfrey got out of that by retiring Bonifacio on a grounder to second.

"Six walks isn't ideal," Pelfrey said. "I thought I was pretty erratic. I think fastball command was good. I thought the curveball and slider command was pretty bad. The only thing I had that was fairly decent was the split."

NOTES: The Royals recalled RHP Jake Junis from Triple-A Omaha for his fifth stint with the big league club. Junis was 2-4 with a 2.55 ERA in 10 Omaha starts. ... They optioned OF Billy Burns to the Storm Chasers. ... White Sox SS Tyler Saladino made his sixth start at shortstop as Tim Anderson was given a breather. ... The heat index was 112 degrees for the first pitch. Royals LHP Danny Duffy tweeted: "Jesus turn down the furnace, or take the wheel, or something along those lines idk. I feel like I'm medium rare." ... The Royals' bullpen has a 2.32 ERA in 18 July games. ... The Royals' six walks off RHP Mike Pelfrey was the most off a starting pitcher since Miami's Jacob Turner on Aug. 14, 2013. ... LHPs Derek Holland of the White Sox and Travis Wood of the Royals are the Sunday probables for the series finale.

Nine-run 8th powers Cardinals past Cubs

(TSX / STATS) -- CHICAGO -- Once the St. Louis Cardinals got rolling on Friday, they just didn't seem to want to stop.

Paul DeJong's bases-loaded, two-base hit delivered the go-ahead runs while nine straight batters scored in a decisive eighth inning in the Cardinals' 11-4 come-from-behind victory over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.

"I've never been a part of something like that -- to score nine runs with no outs," said DeJong, who slugged a ground-rule double into the center-field ivy. "I think that really made a statement for us in game one and we've got two more games left that we've got to get."

The victory snapped the Cardinals' two-game losing streak and also ended a six-game winning run by the Cubs.

DeJong (1-for-5) doubled off Cubs reliever Hector Rondon to score Tommy Pham and Dexter Fowler for a 5-3 lead with none out.

Rondon then gave up an RBI single to Randal Grichuk to make it 6-3. Carl Edwards Jr. (3-2), who started the inning and loaded the bases, took the loss.

Reliever Justin Grimm entered and gave up the rest of the scoring, including a two-run double to Carson Kelly, a one-run single to Matt Carpenter and a two-run base hit to Pham.

"We had a bad inning pitching," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "That's the third time in a week here at this ballpark if you go prior before the break. A seven, a nine and a 10 in one inning. I've not seen that since rookie ball, that's crazy stuff."

Right-hander Matt Bowman (2-3) worked one-third of an inning in the seventh for the win for the Cardinals (47-49). St. Louis starter Carlos Martinez allowed three runs (two earned) on 10 hits over 6 2/3 innings.

"My sinker was really working today, I was finally -- in comparison to last game -- I really had control of it," Martinez said through a translator. "So it was really working well for me. I was also throwing really hard, which also helped."

The Cubs (49-46) opened a five-game homestand as Ben Zobrist had three hits, Kyle Schwarber had two hits and Willson Contreras homered.

Fowler went 3-for-4 to lead the Cardinals while Carpenter, Pham and Grichuk each had two hits.

Cubs starter Jake Arrieta scattered two runs on five hits but received a no-decision. He held an opponent to six or fewer hits for the 12th straight start.

"We swung the bats well against Martinez, took what he was giving us and had some great at-bats and I kept us in the game," Arrieta said. "That was it until the eighth when it got out of hand."

The Cubs led 2-0 in the first as Contreras clubbed his 14th home run, scoring Zobrist in the process.

Grichuk marked his return from the 10-day disabled list with a two-out, solo homer in the second inning that trimmed the Cubs lead to 2-1.

St. Louis forced a 2-2 tie in the third when Fowler doubled home Pham with two out.

Anthony Rizzo's one-out single down the first base line brought home Jason Heyward from second for a 3-2 Cubs lead.

Arrieta, pulled for a pinch hitter in the sixth inning, struck out six and walked none while throwing 97 pitches on a hot, humid afternoon.

Martinez left for a pinch hitter in the top of the seventh and was replaced by left-hander Zach Duke, making his season debut after being called up from the 60-day disabled list on the heels of Tommy John surgery following the 2016 season.

Duke faced two batters and threw six pitches, including a line drive from Rizzo for an out.

After Edwards loaded the bases, Rondon entered and walked Jedd Gyorko to bring in Carpenter with the tying run before the two-run ground-rule double to DeJong.

"When you get going, you keep going," said Kelly, who was called up from Triple-A Memphis on Friday and inserted into the lineup when starter Yadier Molina was a late scratch. "You've just got to ride it."

NOTES: The Cardinals made a series of personnel moves prior to Friday's game, including a trade that sent LHP Marco Gonzales to Seattle for OF prospect Tyler O'Neill. St. Louis also designated C Eric Fryer for assignment, recalled C Carson Kelly from Triple-A Memphis, activated OF Randal Grichuk from the 10-day disabled list and LHP Zach Duke from the 60-day disabled list. ... The Chicago stop is the finale of a 10-game road trip for the Cardinals that included stops in Pittsburgh and at the New York Mets. ... St. Louis sends RHP Adam Wainwright (11-5, 5.08 ERA) against Chicago LHP Jon Lester (6-6, 4.07 ERA) in Saturday's middle game. ... Cubs 3B Kris Bryant sat out Friday's game after suffering a left pinkie finger sprain on Wednesday. He's also likely to miss Saturday. ... The Cubs began an 18-game stretch of game without a trip to the airport with three games against the Cardinals, a four-game home-and-home series with the White Sox, three in Milwaukee and a six-game homestand through Aug. 20.

Merrifield lifts Royals past White Sox

(TSX / STATS) -- KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Kansas City Royals keep finding ways to win late on this homestand.

Whit Merrifield drove in three runs, including the game-winner in the 10th inning, as the Royals rallied to beat the Chicago White Sox 7-6 on Friday night.

It took four hours and 10 minutes, the Royals' longest home game of the year. In their last four victories, three are walk-offs. Meanwhile, Chicago suffered its seventh straight loss.

Merrifield's sacrifice fly with the bases loaded in the 10th brought home Alcides Escobar for the walk-off victory Friday.

"That's what good teams do," Merrifield said of the Royals' rallying from a 5-1 deficit. "That's what good teams have to do to be successful and make it to the playoffs. We chipped away here, got a couple back there, but kind of like what happened in the Detroit game, too.

"When they scored some runs, we kind of counterpunched. That's what needs to happen in order to win games like this."

Escobar and Alex Gordon, who had three hits and three RBIs, started the 10th inning with singles. They advanced on a wild pitch and pinch-hitter Jorge Bonifacio walked to load the bases to set the stage for Merrifield's sacrifice fly.

"It's exciting, man, scoring the winning run," said Escobar, who has reached base in 20 straight home games.

Neftali Feliz (1-0) picked up the victory. Tyler Clippard (1-6) absorbed the loss in his first game for the White Sox after being acquired in a Tuesday seven-player trade with the New York Yankees.

The Royals won their third in a row to move a game above .500 and into a second-place tie with the Minnesota Twins in the American League Central.

Top prospect Yohan Moncada had four RBIs, but it did not end the White Sox's losing streak.

Chicago struck for two runs in the second inning. Ian Kennedy walked Avisail Garcia to lead off the inning. Matt Davidson laced a single to right, and when Merrifield mishandled it, the runners advanced a base on the error.

Moncada's groundout to first baseman Brandon Moss got Garcia home. Omar Narvaez's two-out single to center scored Davidson.

The Royals got a run back in the bottom of the inning. Escobar doubled to left-center with two outs and later scored on Gordon's single.

Jose Abreu and Garcia singled while Davidson drew a 10-pitch walk to load the bases with two outs in the third. All three scored when Moncada tripled on an 0-2 Kennedy offering.

"Once I got that first hit, I felt relief," Moncada said through an interpreter. "First because it was the first one and second because of the situation. It was three RBIs and it was a very big moment of the game. And I think that from now on I'm going to feel more relaxed and comfortable."

Mike Moustakas pounded his 26th home run on James Shields' first pitch of the fourth. Kansas City tacked on two runs when Merrifield's double scored Gordon, who had walked, and Drew Butera, who had singled.

The White Sox increased their lead to 6-4 in the fifth with an unearned run. Lorenzo Cain failed to catch Yolmer Sanchez's liner for a three-base error. Scott Alexander replaced Kennedy and Sanchez scored on a passed ball charged to Butera.

The Royals tied it in the bottom of the fifth and chased Shields. Moss opened with a single and advanced to third on Salvador Perez's double. After Moustakas was walked intentionally to load the bases, Gordon hit a two-run, opposite-field double.

Kennedy allowed six runs (five earned), six hits and two walks in four innings plus one batter. Kennedy has not won in 13 consecutive home starts.

Shields went 4 1/3 innings, permitting six runs, 10 hits and three walks.

"Shieldsy got into a little bit of trouble, had some traffic, worked out of a few jams," White Sox manager Rick Renteria said. "Wasn't able to get out of that fifth, obviously, with the base hit, but he kept us in the ballgame. I thought the relief corps did a nice job of keeping us there, once they went and tied the ballgame. "

NOTES: 1B Eric Hosmer was not with the Royals when the game started. He was away for undisclosed family matters but made it to the stadium late and entered in the fourth inning as a pinch hitter. ... Royals RF Jorge Bonifacio was out with a sore foot after fouling a ball off of it Thursday. ... White Sox starting pitchers have a 5.87 ERA in the past 51 games. They have only 11 quality starts in that stretch. ... The White Sox are 3-11 in July. ... White Sox RHP Mike Pelfrey and Royals LHP Jason Vargas are the Saturday probables.

Red-hot Cubs return home to meet Cardinals

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(TSX / STATS) -- CHICAGO -- The Chicago Cubs return to Wrigley Field on Friday with a shored-up starting pitching staff and their longest winning streak of the year.

The defending World Series champions have won six straight since the All-Star break and are only one game out of first place -- a 4 1/2 game pickup on the National League Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers -- as they open a three-game weekend series with division rival St. Louis (46-49).

Chicago (49-45) will also show off its newest acquisition -- left-hander Jose Quintana -- with a Sunday start in his Cubs home debut.

"We've had this energy since the beginning of the second half in Baltimore," manager Joe Maddon said Wednesday after the Cubs' 8-2 victory over the Braves in Atlanta. "I'm feeling the guys more mentally involved, and I love that."

First up is a Friday clash in which Cubs right-hander Jake Arrieta (9-7, 4.17 ERA) will oppose Cardinals righty Carlos Martinez (6-8, 3.36).

Martinez, who pitched two innings in last week's All-Star Game, makes his 22nd career appearance (12th start) against the Cubs. He is 4-3 with a 4.16 ERA against Chicago.

Martinez is 1-0 in two starts vs. Chicago this season, most recently tossing 6 2/3 innings against the Cubs while striking out seven in a 5-3 victory on May 13. He needs one strikeout to reach 600 for his career.

Arrieta makes his 20th start of the season but only his seventh at home. He is 8-3 with a 2.00 ERA all-time against St. Louis, including 6-1, 0.95 at Wrigley Field. He is 1-1 this season in two starts against the Cardinals, both at Busch Stadium.

Arrieta allowed two runs (one earned) in 6 2/3 innings Saturday in a 10-3 victory over the Orioles, his ninth quality start.

Arrieta's performance is part of a recent trend of improved Cubs starting pitching.

Quintana, acquired in a trade with the Chicago White Sox, tossed seven shutout innings Sunday in his Cubs debut.

Jon Lester allowed one run in a seven-inning effort Monday against the Braves. John Lackey won for only the second time since May 16 on Tuesday, allowing one run on five hits in a 5-1 victory.

On Wednesday, Mike Montgomery took a no-hitter into the fifth inning and allowed two hits in a six-inning performance for an 8-2 win at Atlanta.

Moreover, right-handed starter Kyle Hendricks rejoined the club after a six-week stay on the disabled list caused by tendinitis in his pitching hand. He tossed five perfect innings in a Monday rehab outing at Double-A Tennessee.

St. Louis is 4 1/2 games behind Milwaukee and is 3-4 on its current road trip -- including a 3-2 Thursday loss as the New York Mets rallied with single runs in the eighth and ninth.

The winning run scored when Jose Reyes recorded an infield hit on a grounder to first as pitcher Trevor Rosenthal was late covering the bag.

"Today would have been a great opportunity to win this series," Cardinals infielder Matt Carpenter said. "When you lose by beating yourself, that's when it leaves a sour taste in your mouth, and today that's exactly what happened."

Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant's status is uncertain for the Friday game after he sprained his left pinkie finger Wednesday. Bryant caught the foot of Atlanta's Johan Camargo while sliding head-first into third base.

Kennedy to feel heat as Royals host White Sox

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(TSX / STATS) -- KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Ian Kennedy knows it is going to be extremely hot Friday when he starts for the Kansas City Royals in the series opener against the Chicago White Sox.

It is forecast to reach triple digits in Kansas City.

"I don't know if there is anybody that even likes playing in the heat when it's this hot," Kennedy said. "It's pretty hot right now. We try to stay cool as much as we can. Just be thankful it's not a day game."

How does Kennedy prepare his body for throwing possibly 100 pitches in this weather?

"The day before you're doing a lot more things, a little bit more fluids, drinking more drinks designed for that, drinking a lot more water and drinks with potassium," he said. "It's more of a day-before type thing. The day of (the start), you drink a little bit more."

Kennedy said he may change jerseys after a couple innings. Plus, he likely will be reaching for the resin bag for a more secure grip on the baseball.

"That's why they have resin out there, to help your hands dry out a little bit; because, with sweat and resin, it gets a little tacky. That's why it's out there. You see a lot of guys use it."

Kennedy (3-6, 4.32 ERA) is unbeaten in his last seven starts, with the Royals going 6-1. He is 3-0 with a 3.14 ERA in the seven starts, going at least six innings in six of those games.

"I feel like I'm pitching like I should be pitching," Kennedy said. "It's nice to be healthy like I was in the beginning of the year and I was throwing pretty well. The injury puts a little damper on some things, but I feel like I've been pitching like I should."

Kennedy went on the disabled list after straining his right hamstring in the fifth inning of a May 4 start against the White Sox. He is 2-2 with a 3.93 ERA in six career starts against the White Sox.

Chicago will counter with ex-Royal James Shields (2-2, 5.10 ERA). He is 7-2 with a 3.54 ERA in 11 career starts against the Royals, holding them to a .237 batting average.

The buzz around the White Sox is second baseman Yoan Moncada, the No. 1 prospect in baseball. The White Sox acquired Moncada, a 22-year-old from Cuba, as the centerpiece in a Dec. 6 trade that sent Chris Sale to the Boston Red Sox. Moncada made his White Sox debut Wednesday.

"The fan base is very, very excited just about what the organization is doing in general," White Sox manager Rick Renteria said. "I think for them being able to see one of the young men they ended up getting in a trade, having him now here with us, (and) with a lot of the moves that we made, they're very excited to get a little taste of what the future's going to look like.

"He had very nice at-bats, turned a nice double play, looked very comfortable out there. I think those are things that I hope they'll be able to take with them as we continue to formulate who we're going to be as a ballclub."

The White Sox completed a seven-player blockbuster deal Tuesday with the New York Yankees. While the White Sox got three prospects back, they also acquired veteran right-hander Tyler Clippard, who will be their closer as the season winds down.

"Young, loose," Clippard described his new teammates. "That's definitely my vibe. I really enjoy that kind of energy. That really coincides with my personality a lot, so I look forward to it."

While the Royals trail the Indians by 1 1/2 games in the AL Central, the White Sox have lost six straight and are 1-9 in their past 10 games. They are 38-54, the worst record in the American League.

Dodgers win rain-shortened game vs. White Sox

(TSX / STATS) -- CHICAGO -- Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Enrique Hernandez was more interested in grabbing his postgame meal than discussing his big night at the plate on Wednesday.

"You can quote me: I hit two home runs," Hernandez said as he buttoned his shirt in front of his locker and zigzagged across the locker room toward the food. "That's it."

These days, it is easy for the league-leading Dodgers to shrug at their own success.

Hernandez homered twice and Chris Taylor finished a triple shy of the cycle as the Dodgers rolled to a 9-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox in a rain-shortened affair. The game was called because of heavy rain after a 37-minute delay with two outs in the top of the eighth inning.

Los Angeles (66-29) won its 11th consecutive game and improved to 31-4 in its past 35. The 11-game winning streak marks the Dodgers' best stretch of success since 2006.

"The confidence we have in our group that we're going to win a game on a particular night is real," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "The talent is real. You've got to do it to really believe in it."

As the Dodgers surge, Chicago (38-54) is slumping badly in the first year of its rebuilding project. The White Sox have lost six games in a row and nine of their last 10.

Enthusiasm was noticeable among White Sox fans anyway because of the team debut of Yoan Moncada, a highly touted second baseman who was acquired last season from Boston. The team announced 5,000 walk-up ticket sales -- a high number by its standards -- to watch Moncada play.

Moncada finished 0-for-2 with a walk. Even his foul tips drew loud ovations.

"I was excited for how the fans treated me and how they were cheering me," Moncada said through an interpreter. "I was really happy in that at-bat and excited because of all that atmosphere and the excitement in the ballpark."

The Dodgers dulled some of that excitement by hitting balls out of the ballpark. They hit all four home runs against White Sox left-hander Carlos Rodon (1-3), who was chased in the fourth inning.

Rodon said a nine-day break between starts did not serve as an excuse for his performance.

"Just wasn't there, man," Rodon said. "(My) stuff felt electric, but these guys are good. They can hit hard stuff, and (they make you pay) when you miss in the wrong spot."

Dodgers right-hander Kenta Maeda (8-4) held the White Sox to one run and five hits in five innings. The team's starting pitchers improved to 11-0 with a 1.45 ERA during the winning streak.

"It's a really good atmosphere," Maeda said through an interpreter. "Everybody is doing their job to the best of their abilities. That creates the mood."

Taylor led off the game with a home run to put the Dodgers on top 1-0. The opposite-field blast marked Taylor's 11th home run of the season and the first leadoff home run of his career.

In the bottom of the first, Melky Cabrera homered to even the score at 1.

Hernandez followed with home runs to lead off the second and fourth innings. He pulled both hits over the left-field wall for the second multi-home run game of his career.

The parade of long balls continued as Corey Seager lofted an opposite-field, two-run shot to increase the Dodgers' lead to 5-1 in the fourth.

The Dodgers scored four runs in the sixth inning to grab an eight-run lead. Trayce Thompson, Taylor, Seager and Justin Turner each drove in one run apiece during the outburst.

"Eleven straight for them?" Rodon said. "That's somewhere this team wants to be. We're working our way to that, and hats off to them for playing so well."

NOTES: White Sox 2B Yoan Moncada will stay at second base rather than move around the infield. The 22-year-old Cuban was considered to be the No. 1 prospect in the minor leagues by Baseball America and MLB.com. He also has experience playing third base in the minor leagues. ... Dodgers RHP Hyun-Jin Ryu will start Monday against the Twins, manager Dave Roberts said. Ryu has been on the disabled list since July 4 because of a left foot contusion. ... Newly acquired White Sox RHP Tyler Clippard will get the first shot at the closer's role after RHP David Robertson's departure to the Yankees, manager Rick Renteria said. Clippard has 57 career saves, including a 32-save campaign with the Washington Nationals in 2012. ... Dodgers OF Trayce Thompson made his 11th start of the season. He went 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI.

Cubs' Bryant day-to-day after slide scare

(TSX / STATS) -- ATLANTA -- Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant left Wednesday's game against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning after spraining the little finger on his left hand in a head-first slide.

X-rays were negative, ruling out a fracture, and Bryant was listed as day to day.

"You slide into someone's foot and you obviously think the worse-case scenario," Bryant said. "I was kind of scared to even look at my finger."

Bryant, the reigning National League MVP, hit the foot of Braves third baseman Johan Camargo with his hand as he tried to advance on a pitch in the dirt. He was thrown out by catcher Tyler Flowers to end the top of the first.

Bryant, who had doubled in the first against knuckleballer R.A. Dickey, appeared to be in immediate pain after he caught his fingers. He stayed on the ground for a few seconds before leaving the field.

Bryant was replaced by Tommy La Stella defensively to start the bottom of the inning.

Manager Joe Maddon pointed to Bryant's quick return from an ankle injury when projecting when the Cubs might have Bryant back in the lineup. Thursday's off day was a given but Bryant did not consider starting Friday a sure thing.

"I kind of think we dodged a bullet there," Maddon said. "... I don't anticipate a long process here."

Bryant is hitting .275 with 19 home runs and 40 RBIs this season.