Royals’ starter Kyle Davies allowed just two runs in seven innings of work as he continues to make a case that he should be in the starting rotation next April, and the Royals go yard three times in a 5-2 win over the White Sox.
While a bigger, Chicago-Missouri battle was taking place on the north side of Chicago, with the Cubs beating St. Louis to clinch the N.L. Central, the White Sox of the south side are locked into a late season battle with Minnesota whose magic number is 7 to clinch.
After having their seven game winning streak snapped on Friday, the Royals looked to have a hand in the Pennant push by stopping Chicago. First, Davies. Maybe his best start of the year. He only needed 101 pitches to get past the seventh inning, something he had struggled with at times. Then his control was laser focused as he walked just one and allowed only three hits, one of which was a two run homer to Alexei Ramirez in the eighth.
At that point, the Royals had a 5-0 lead thanks to three home runs all off Sox starter Gavin Floyd who was 16-7 coming into the game. Alex Gordon hit a two run homer in the 2nd, and then David DeJesus hit an inside the park shot, when his ball bounced off the right field wall and Jermaine Dye fell down attempting to make the catch. Then September call up Kila Ka’aihue hit his first major league homer when went deep in the seventh.
The Sox had a chance to tie after a couple of long fly balls given up by Joakim Soria, but in the end, Soria notched his 41st save of the year.