White Sox beat Royals 5-3 behind Abreu, Giolito

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — José Abreu hit his 13th home run of the season in the first inning, Yasmani Grandal added a two-run shot, and the Chicago White Sox defeated the Kansas City Royals 5-3 Saturday night behind ace Lucas Giolito.

Abreu leads the majors with 40 RBIs in 40 games and extended his hitting streak to 19 games. His 425-foot, two-run homer pushed him past Baltimore’s Anthony Santander for the longest streak this season.

“He’s our heart and soul," Giolito said. "It seems like he’s getting that clutch hit almost every single game. Runners in scoring position, two outs, he gets the job done. What he provides for us on a daily basis, he does it all.”

Giolito (4-2) allowed three runs on five hits in six-plus innings. He struck out nine, fanning five of the last seven batters he faced, and walked none. Alex Colome earned his ninth save in 10 tries.

"I really wanted to get through the seventh, or at least get one of those first two guys that I faced,” Giolito said. “Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. The bullpen picked me up.

"It’s kind of what we do. In a close game like that, if one side falls short, the other side is there to pick them up. That’s what the team was able to do in spite of me not being able to get through seven.”

The White Sox (25-15) are now 8-1 against the Royals this season.

Kris Bubic (0-5) took the loss, allowing five runs, two of them earned.

“Great outing. You take that fifth away, or we make a play that didn’t get made in the fifth and that’s a completely different ballgame," Royals manager Mike Matheny said. “But still, he gets through that first and really shows no chink in his armor. He just got better as he went.”

An error by Maikel Franco in the top of the fifth led to three unearned runs. Bubic...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/White-Sox-beat-Royals-5-3-behind-Abreu-Giolito-15546059.php