Royals mount another comeback against White Sox

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The comeback kids did it again.

Alex Gordon delivered a walk-off run-producing single with two out in the 10th as the Kansas City Royals defeated the Chicago White Sox 6-5 Sunday afternoon.

The Royals have won 11 times this year after trailing, including five victories in their final at-bat.

"You'd rather score early and kind of cruise," said closer Greg Holland, who worked a spotless 10th to pick up the victory. "You're going to have those. We haven't played well the first few innings offensively yet and when we start doing that, we're going to be real tough to beat day-in and day-out. It's an exciting time for us."

Not so much for the White Sox, who have dropped five of their past seven to fall five games below .500.

"The only answer is to fight and do your work," White Sox Paul Konerko. "This is not the only team I've been on that had a tough spell but you have to push through it. But definitely nobody in here's having fun. That's a team over there that's having fun right now, but they could come in for a stretch where they have trouble. It could be brutal and they don't know it. We could be hot from here on out, but you've got to show up and play because if you don't it could get worse."

Lorenzo Cain opened the 10th with a single off Brian Omogrosso for his third hit. Cain stole second, but Omogrosso walked Chris Getz intentionally and George Kottaras on five pitches to load the bases.

Gordon's fly to deep right was out of the reach of Alex Rios and plated Cain.

"As soon as he hit it I thought Rios would catch it and then your thought goes right to pitching and who's in the bullpen," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "Gordy hit it good. It had some carry."

Billy Butler's two-run double with two out in the ninth tied the score at 5-5.

"I got an opportunity to help the team out," Butler said. "I hit a few balls hard today and didn't get anything for it. That's the way the game works out, continue to get you up there. Just continue to put the barrel on it. That's all you can control. I'm just real happy to get that hit for us."

Butler's hit came off Addison Reed, who blew his first save of the season in 11 chances. Reed walked Salvador Perez and Kottaras to start the inning. Getz then replaced Perez as a pinch runner.

"It was a big win for us to be down to the last pitch, 3-2, two outs," Yost said. "Billy had a phenomenal at-bat to tie it up."

Reed's two walks set up Butler's clutch hit.

"I was wild," Reed said. "I couldn't get comfortable. I walked the first two guys and I wasn't even close. I was all over the place. The 3-2 pitch to Butler was a hanging slider, it was a terrible pitch. I wanted to make the best pitch I could and I hung it and he made me pay for it."

Alejandro De Aza and Rios each drove in two runs as the White Sox came back from a four-run deficit to take a 5-3 lead in the seventh.

The White Sox trailed 5-1 entering the seventh, and Hector Gimenez and Dewayne Wise led off with singles off left-hander Tim Collins. De Aza's double scored both to tie the score.

De Aza moved to third on a ground out and scored on an Aaron Crow wild pitch. Rios, who entered the game hitting .133 in his previous 12 games, drove a 2-2 Crow pitch over the left-field fence.

Mike Moustakas' one-out single with one out in the fifth was the first hit allowed by Jose Quintana. Moustakas stopped at third on Jeff Francoeur's double to left and Salvador Perez walked to load the bases.

Miguel Tejada, who was making his first start of the season at second base, brought Moustakas home with a single to left to tie the score. Alex Gordon reached on Jeff Keppinger's fielding error, scoring Francoeur. Alcides Escobar's single to right brought home Perez with the final run of the inning.

Wade Davis, who had lost his previous two Royals starts, allowed one run on five hits in six innings in a no-decision.

NOTES: The White Sox scratched Jake Peavy from his Monday start with back spasms. Chris Sale, working on his normal four days of rest, will take Peavy's place against the Royals. This is the second straight start Peavy will miss with back problems. ... James Shields will start Monday for the Royals. He lost Opening Day 1-0 to Sale at Chicago. ... The White Sox are last in the AL with a .281 on-base percentage and with 67 walks.