John Danks pitched into the seventh inning and three other hurlers combined on a four-hit shutout as the Chicago White Sox earned a split of Friday’s doubleheader against the Kansas City Royals with a 2-0 win in the nightcap.
Danks (5-8) gave up Kansas City’s only hits while walking four and striking out four, improving to 9-1 lifetime in 19 career starts against the Royals.
He was lifted after walking the leadoff batter in the seventh inning before Jake Petricka, Zach Duke and David Robertson finished the game, with Robertson earning his 20th save in the ninth.
Earlier, Mike Moustakas and Alex Rios each hit solo home runs to lead the AL Central-leading Royals to a 4-2 win in the opener.
Edinson Volquez (8-5) took the loss in the second game — his first in eight starts — after yielding two runs, eight hits and two walks in 6 1/3 innings.
Kansas City, which sent seven players to the All-Star Game this week, lost for only the second time in its last 10 games.
Chicago got the only run it needed in the second inning when Avisail Garcia tripled and scored on Tyler Flowers’ single.
The other run came in the sixth, when Melky Cabrera hit a leadoff double and eventually scored on a Volquez wild pitch.
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