CHICAGO (AP) — Mike Moustakas scored the tiebreaking run in the top of the ninth inning when White Sox catcher Tyler Flowers could handle a throw home and the Kansas City Royals beat Chicago 2-1 Wednesday in the rubber game of a three-game series.
Moustakas triggered the decisive rally with a lead-off single off Zach Putnam (3-2), the last of four White Sox pitchers. Alcides Escobar bunted Moustakas over before Aoki flared a single to center field.

Adam Eaton’s strong throw beat Moustakas to the plate, but Flowers lost control of the ball when the runner slid into him. Flowers was charged with an error on the play.

Wade Davis (6-2) pitched a scoreless inning and Greg Holland retired the side in order in the ninth inning for his 26th save.

After the teams traded runs in the opening frame, starters James Shields and Jose Quintana matched each other with six scoreless innings. Neither was overwhelming, but both were able to get key outs when necessary.

Shields allowed six hits in seven innings He walked one batter and struck out seven.|

In seven innings, Quintana gave up seven hits and two walks and struck out three. He remained winless (0-5) against the Royals in 11 career starts.

The no-decision was the 36th for Quintana since the 2012 season, the most for any major leaguer in that span.

Chicago’s Adam Dunn singled home Jose Abreu to tie the score at 1-1 in the first inning.

Kansas City took the lead on Eric Hosmer’s sacrifice fly.

NOTES: Hosmer (bruised hand) and Abreu (sore back) returned to the lineup after brief absences. Hosmer had sat out the last two games, while Abreu was inactive for one … Royals LHP Jason Vargas (appendectomy) was scheduled for another side session on Wednesday. … Davis has not allowed an extra-base hit in 42-2 innings this season. …. White Sox OF Dayan Viciedo was a late scratch because of tightness in his left hamstring. Moises Sierra replaced him in right field. … White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper (vertigo) did not accompany the team to Minneapolis for the start of a seven-game road trip. Bullpen coach Bobby Thigpen assumed his duties for the third consecutive game…. White Sox OF Avasail Garcia (shoulder surgery) will accelerate his workout regimine on the road trip. No timetable has been set for a rehab assignment. …. In his professional debut, White Sox first-round draft pick Carlos Rendon allowed one run in one inning of relief in the Arizona Rookie League on Tuesday. . . . Wednesday marked the five-year anniversary of Mark Buehrle’s perfect game against the Tampa Bay Rays at U.S. Cellular Field.

CHICAGO (AP) – Mike Moustakas scored the tiebreaking run in the top of the ninth inning when White Sox catcher Tyler Flowers could not handle a throw home and the Kansas City Royals beat Chicago 2-1 Wednesday in the rubber game of a three-game series.

Moustakas triggered the decisive rally with a lead-off single off Zach Putnam (3-2), the last of four White Sox pitchers. Alcides Escobar bunted Moustakas over before Nori Aoki flared a single to center field.

Adam Eaton’s strong throw beat Moustakas to the plate, but Flowers lost control of the ball when the runner slid into him. Flowers was charged with an error on the play.

Wade Davis (6-2) pitched a scoreless inning and Greg Holland retired the side in order in the ninth inning for his 26th save.

By JOHN JACKSON
Associated Press

CHICAGO — Mike Moustakas homered twice, Bruce Chen pitched five effective innings and the Kansas City Royals snapped a four-game losing streak with a 7-1 rout of the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night.

Moustakas, who has 12 homers this season, went 3 for 5 with three RBIs.

The Royals entered the game with a major league-worst 55 homers and had managed a total of six runs during the losing streak.

Chen (2-2) allowed one run and five hits in five innings.

Adam Dunn went 2 for 4 with a solo homer for the White Sox, who had won three of four.

Chicago starter Scott Carroll (4-6) allowed five runs and 11 hits in five-plus innings.

Moustakas led off the second with a long homer to right field to make it 1-0. The White Sox tied it when Dunn led off the fourth with a homer to left.

The Royals broke the game open with a four-run sixth inning thanks to some timely hits — another missing element during the losing streak — and White Sox miscues.

Billy Butler led off with a double and the next batter, Raul Ibanez, drove him in with a double to make it 2-1. Alcides Escobar followed with an infield hit to put runners on first and third, and Ibanez scored on a passed ball as Nori Aoki walked for a 3-1 lead.

That was all for Carroll as Javy Guerra entered.

Guerra, though, immediately dug a deeper hole with his defense. With runners on first and second, Jarrod Dyson bunted back to the vicinity of the mound. Guerra fielded the ball cleanly, but his throw to first base was wild and sailed by second baseman Gordon Beckham and down the right field line, allowing Escobar to score on the throwing error.

The Royals capped the scoring in the inning with a sacrifice fly by Omar Infante to made it 5-1.

Moustakas added a two-run homer in the eighth.

NOTES: Chicago manager Robin Ventura said he decided to give 1B Jose Abreu the night off after watching the major League home run leader move around looking a bit stiff during Monday’s game. “Going through the All-Star stuff and everything else, not having a break, you just see little things,” Ventura said. Abreu is not injured and should play in the series finale on Wednesday. . Royals 1B Eric Hosmer missed a second straight game with a bruised right hand. He was hit with a pitch from Jon Lester of the Boston Red Sox on Sunday. “He wanted to try (to play) today,” manager Ned Yost said, “and I told him, ‘Let’s just take it easy, get treatment on it all day (Wednesday) and see where we are.'” . White Sox C Tyler Flowers’ wife, Nancy, gave birth to a boy earlier Tuesday. Flowers wasn’t at the ballpark for batting practice but arrived before game time. Backup Adrian Nieto started. . Royals RHP James Shields (9-5) faces Jose Quintana (5-7) on Wednesday.