(Sports Network) - The White Sox found the answer to curing their road woes; a series with the Royals. Chicago will aim for a sweep of its three-game set with Kansas City tonight in the finale of that series at Kauffman Stadium.
Chicago had lost 10 of 12 on the road prior to this engagement with Kansas City, and brought a 19-24 road mark into this set. However, the White Sox have won the first two tests of this series and are in position for their first three-game sweep in Kansas City since April 22-24, 2005.
In fact, the Pale Hose have won all five of their matchups with the Royals this year, a run that began with a three-game home sweep in early June, and have also won their last seven meetings overall with KC.
Chicago has scored just 183 runs on the road this year, 12th in the American League, but plated eight runs in Monday's 13-inning victory before posting a 7-6 win last night. All-Star Carlos Quentin connected on a pair of two-run homers and scored the winning run in the eighth inning.
Jim Thome and Alexei Ramirez also drove in a run each for Chicago, which has won four straight and next plays in Texas before the All-Star break. The White Sox are also 3 1/2 games up on the Twins for first place in the AL Central.
Quentin and Ramirez were two of four White Sox players to homer off Royals starter Zack Greinke back on June 3, and get another chance to do so tonight. Greinke also served up long balls to A.J. Pierzynski and Nick Swisher in that June setback, which dropped him to 2-7 with a save and 4.81 earned run average in 11 career starts and three relief outings versus Chicago. His lone career save came versus the White Sox on June 29 of last year.
The right-hander pitched well in defeat on Saturday, allowing two runs on seven hits with seven strikeouts over six innings of a 3-0 loss in Tampa Bay. Greinke fell to 7-5 with a 3.62 earned run average with that outing. The 24- year-old is undefeated at home this year, going 3-0 with a 2.57 ERA in six home starts.
Mark Buehrle counters for Chicago, and the left-hander did not enjoy leaving June behind. The lefty went 4-0 with a 1.60 ERA in six starts last month, but was tagged for four runs on 10 hits and three walks over 5 2/3 innings of a setback on Friday to Oakland.
Buehrle is 6-7 with a 3.91 ERA on the season and 16-6 with a 3.40 ERA in 33 games (31 starts) all-time versus the Royals, a club he has won his last four decisions against. The 29-year-old is 8-4 in 15 starts at Kauffman Stadium with a 3.34 ERA.
Ross Gload had three RBI and three hits last night while John Buck was 2-for-3 with two RBI and a solo homer for Kansas City, which has scored 13 runs in this series only to have dropped back-to-back one-run tests. Overall, the Royals have lost five of their last six.
Buck is hitting just .147 (5-for-34) in his career against Buehrle with two homers, four RBI and 11 strikeouts.
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