KANSAS CITY, Missouri -- Freddy Garcia found his touch
against the Kansas City Royals. Runelvys Hernandez could not
find the plate.
Garcia pitched seven sharp innings and the Chicago White Sox
took advantage of Hernandez's wildness en route to an 8-2
triumph over the Royals.
In handing the Royals their sixth loss in seven games, the White
Sox improved to 13-4 - their best start since 1935.
In 14 career games against the Royals, Garcia (2-1) had gone
just 5-6 with a 5.71 ERA - his worst vs. any American League
team. But he held Kansas City in check in this one, yielding
just two runs and four hits and striking out three without a
walk.
Hernandez (1-3) was anything but sharp, surrendering five runs,
six hits and six walks in six innings.
Chicago never trailed in this one, opening the scoring with two
runs in the second inning as A.J. Pierzynski singled with one
out and scored on Juan Uribe's two-out double to right-center
field.
Uribe's lazy fly to center field got caught in a gust and kept
drifting toward the warning track. Royals center fielder David
DeJesus was charged with an error for misjudging its path,
allowing Uribe to advance to third.
Two batters later, Tadahito Iguchi plated Uribe with an infield
single.
The White Sox added a run in the fourth and two in the sixth
against Hernandez before opening a 7-1 cushion against reliever
Kyle Snyder in the seventh on an RBIs double by Pierzynski and a
sacrifice fly by Uribe.