White Sox's Skid Reaches 7 After 10-3 Loss
KANSAS CITY, MO. (AP) -- Poor pitching and a lack of clutch hitting kept the Chicago White Sox reeling on Saturday night.
The White Sox dropped their seventh straight game, a 10-3 loss to the Royals.
That matched the longest losing skid of the season for the White Sox, while the Royals have won seven straight, their longest winning streak since September 2008.
Mike Moustakas hit his third home run in four games and Jeff Francoeur hit a three-run homer as the Royals had 18 hits, including six for extra bases.
"Those guys right now are locked in," White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said.
"They are swinging the bats pretty good right now. When they score 30 (actually 24) runs in three games, what do you think is the reason? You look at their lineup and they have those guys all hitting .280 with 80 RBI. Most of the guys at the top of the lineup are hitting the ball pretty well. Hopefully tomorrow we won't give up 17, 18, 20 hits in one game."
The White Sox went 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position, stranding runners at second and third with one out in the third and left the bases full in the fourth.
"We had some missed opportunities to score early," Guillen said. "I don't think we deserved to have a better game."
White Sox rookie right-hander Zach Stewart (2-5), who was acquired in a July 27 trade with Toronto, allowed five runs and 11 hits in five innings. He has given up 18 hits and 11 runs in 10 innings in losing his past two starts.
"No matter what the count they were getting good swings," Stewart said.
"They were always battling me and then they got me. There were some pitches I needed to make and I didn't. When those guys are swinging the bats that well you can't make mistakes. That's what killed me the last two innings. I got out of a couple of jams before that, but they got me the last couple of innings."
"My changeup was hit or miss and I couldn't throw my curve for strikes. It wasn't that I couldn't throw the change, but I just couldn't get it to go over the plate like a fastball. When guys are swinging the bats as well as they are, you can't pitch like that."
Moustakas, who had three hits, homered in the fifth with Eric Hosmer, who had doubled aboard. Moustakas and Salvador Perez singled in the fourth and both scored on Alcides Esocbar's triple.
"Our goal is to win ball games every day," Moustakas said. "We're trying to finish this year up strong and carry this onto next year."
Francoeur hit his 19th home run in the eighth with Melky Cabrera and Hosmer on base.
Perez and Cabrera each contributed three singles to the Royals' 18-hit attack. Escobar doubled and tripled and drove in two runs.
Moustakas, Hosmer and Perez, a trio of highly regarded rookies, combined to go 7 for 14 with two RBIs and scored five runs.
Everett Teaford (2-0), a rookie left-hander, has won both of his starts since moving into the rotation after 23 relief appearances.
He held the White Sox to four hits and one run -- Alex Rios' homer to lead off the second -- while walking two and striking out four.
In beating Seattle and Chicago, Teaford has allowed one run and seven hits in 11 innings, while walking three and striking out nine.
The White Sox scored two runs in the seventh off Nate Adcock, yet another Royals rookie. Tyler Flowers scored on an Adcock wild pitch, while Brent Morel came home on a Juan Pierre ground out.
Adcock worked the final three innings for his first major league save.
Notes: RHP Luis Mendoza will be promoted from Triple-A Omaha and start Tuesday for the Royals against Detroit. Mendoza went 12-5 with a Pacific Coast League-leading 2.18 ERA. He went 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA in two playoff starts. Omaha wrapped up the PCL championship Saturday with Lance Zawadski getting four hits and David Lough hitting a two-run HR in an 11-6 victory at Sacramento to sweep the series. ... Royals closer Joakim Soria remains sidelined with a strained right hamstring, which he injured Sunday. ... White Sox DH Adam Dunn is 4 for 87 against left-handed pitching after a fourth-inning single off Teaford. ... LHP John Danks, who is 0-3 with a 10.91 ERA in his past three starts, will start Sunday for the White Sox. ... LHP Bruce Chen, who struck out eight and held Minnesota to two hits in eight scoreless innings in winning his previous start, will be the Kansas City starter in the finale of this four-game series.
(TM and © Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
