Royals Vs. White Sox Final Score: Kansas City Hangs On For 2-1 Win

On Wednesday night, the Kansas City Royals played the rubber game of their three-game set against the Chicago White Sox. KC managed to emerge victorious, winning the game 2-1 to take the series and play a bit of spoiler for the Sox, who are battling for control of the American League Central.

Mike Moustakas hit a solo home run in the second inning, his 17th of the year, to get the scoring started. Salvador Perez launched a solo home run of his own in the fourth to make it 2-0 Royals. The Kansas City pitching staff held the score right there until the bottom of the ninth. A.J. Pierzynski was able to hit a two-out RBI single to help the White Sox avoid the shutout, but that is all they had in them.

Royals starter Jeremy Guthrie pitched eight shutout innings, holding Chicago to five hits and no walks, while striking out six.

Kansas City Royals Vs. Chicago White Sox: Wednesday Night Lineups

No, the Kansas City Royals won't be making the playoffs in 2012, but they can play spoiler. The Royals finish up a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday night, looking to take the series from the first-place White Sox.

Both Robin Ventura and Ned Yost have announced the starting lineups for Wednesday's contest, and they are as follows:

Kansas City Royals

LF Alex Gordon
SS Alcides Escobar
CF Lorenzo Cain
DH Billy Butler
C Salvador Perez
3B Mike Moustakas
RF Jeff Francoeur
1B Eric Hosmer
2B Tony Abreu

SP Jeremy Guthrie

Chicago White Sox

CF Alejando de Aza
2B Gordon Beckham
1B Adam Dunn
3B Kevin Youkilis
C AJ Pierzynski
SS Alexei Ramirez
LF Dayan Viciedo
RF Jordan Danks
DH Orlando Hudson

SP Jose Quintana

Quintana has been very good for the White Sox, going 4-1 with a 2.80 ERA and 1.10 WHIP through 83 and 2/3 innings. Kansas City's lineup will have to be ready to hit, as Quintana has only issued 15 walks on the year.

For more on the Royals, head over to Royals Review.

Royals Billy Butler Uncertain Of Power Source For Career Year

He's already made his first Major League All-Star Game in 2012, so it's already been a banner year for the most steady hitter on the Kansas City Royals of the last half-decade. But Billy Butler is also enjoying a greater power stroke than ever before -- moving from the category of solid hitter with gap power to potentially one who can knock 30 homers out in a season.

That's the pace Butler is one for now and it's a new one for him.

"I don't know what it is," Butler said. "I guess I'm getting more backspin. I'm definitely stronger. Maybe me coming into my prime, I don't know. I worked hard this offseason, but I'm definitely as strong as I've ever been and the balls are going farther."

Butler is currently slugging at a .505 clip which is much higher than his career average of .464. Butler has done this once before with a .492 slugging percentage in 2009 when he hit 21 home runs but he also nailed an incredible 51 doubles. Perhaps more of those are now starting to go over the fence.

Whatever it is, the Royals will take it. In another abysmal season, Kansas City could use a dose of good news.

Royals Vs. White Sox: Wednesday Game Preview, TV Info And More

The Kansas City Royals are looking for rare back-to-back wins over the first place Chicago White Sox after a 5-2 win on Tuesday aided by a Billy Butler home run. Jeremy Guthrie will take the mound looking for his first win in his last 14 starts. Guthrie is 0-9 through June and July with a 7.43 ERA. He's improved of late, recording a quality start (fifth of the year) against the Rangers in a loss on Friday.

Date / Time: Wednesday, August 8, 7:05 p.m. CT

Location: U.S. Cellular Field, Chicago, Illinois

TV: Fox Sports KC

Radio: KCSP 610 AM

Probable Starters: Jeremy Guthrie (8-9) vs. Jose Quintana (4-1)

For more on the Kansas City Royals, visit Royals Review and SB Nation Kansas City.For more on the Chicago White Sox, be sure to check out South Side Sox and SB Nation Chicago. Baseball Nation is your source for news and analysis around Major League Baseball.

Billy Butler Has Career High 22 Home Runs For Kansas City Royals

Billy Butler hit his 22nd home run of the season on Tuesday night, a two-run shot off Chicago White Sox reliever Nate Jones in the Royals 5-2 victory on Tuesday evening.

For Butler, the shot now gives him a career high, breaking the mark he had originally set back in 2009.

In addition, he now had 69 RBI's on the year, after finishing last season with 95. He is on pace to drive in 103 this season.

The difference we have seen this season is fewer doubles, because of his increased home run percentage. Back in 2009, 11.48 of all of his hits were home runs. That was previously the highest percentage until this year's sudden charge where 17.36% of all of Butler's hits are now home runs.

However to go along with the 21 home runs in 2009, Butler also did hit 51 doubles. Thus far in 2012 he only has 17.

Where will he end up? WIll he break Steve Balboni's 36 home runs?

I doubt it, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Butler end up with 30 home runs and 100 RBI before the season ends.

For the future of Kansas City baseball, that is great production for someone still just 26 years of age.

Royals Vs. White Sox: Billy Butler Homer Caps 5-2 Win

Billy Butler went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer and a double as the Royals rebounded with a win over the White Sox in Chicago on Tuesday night.

Bruce Chen allowed two earned runs over 6 2/3 innings in the start and picked up the win. Greg Holland pitched a perfect ninth for the save.

The White Sox got on the board in the first inning, and there wasn't any scoring until the sixth, when the teams traded runs. Two KC runs in the seventh gave the Royals the lead, and Butler's blast in the eighth helped extend the lead to 5-2. Butler, Alex Gordon and Tony Abreu each went 2-for-4.

Tony Abreu Hopes To Bring Hot Bat From AAA Omaha To Kansas City Royals

Tony Abreu is hoping that the third time's the charm for his Major League Career as the journeyman infielder is now making his third stop in the Majors with his recent promotion to the Kansas City Royals from AAA Omaha. Abreu has spent time with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers in the past, but now he is making his first appearance in the American League.

Abreu, 27, has been swinging a hot bat for Omaha all year and has a .322 average to show for it in 103 games. He has 9 home runs and 73 RBI and has offered some impressive production, but it's yet to translate at the pro level.

"[Abreu's] swinging the bat very, very well. He can play all three infield positions -- third, short and second -- switch-hitter. Really swing the bat good right-handed," Yost said. "Irving's been up two or three times already, we've got a pretty good idea what we have in him, and now we want to get a better grasp on what we have with Abreu at the big league level. When we move forward next year, we'll have a better idea of what we want to do."

Abreu is a career .251 hitter in 149 games at the ML level.

For more on the Chicago White Sox, make sure to check out South Side Sox. For more on the Kansas City Royals, Royals Review is the place to be.

Royals Vs. White Sox: Tuesday Preview, TV Info And More

The Royals will attempt to avenge their series opening loss to the Chicago White Sox with Tuesday's game against the AL Central division leading South Siders.

This is obviously a matchup between the division's first place team and its last place one, but we all know anything can happen in baseball - which means the Royals sending Bruce Chen (7-9, 5.66 ERA) to the mound on Tuesday, while the Sox start Jake Peavy (9-7, 3.04 ERA), could lead to a Kansas City victory. Again, anything can happen.

If you want to keep up with this matchup, this is your game schedule and viewing information:

Date/Time: Tuesday, Aug. 7, 8:10 p.m. ET

TV: FOX Sports Kansas City

Online streaming: MLB.tv

For more on the Kansas City Royals, visit Royals Review and SB Nation Kansas City. For more on the Chicago White Sox, be sure to check out South Side Sox and SB Nation Chicago. Baseball Nation is your source for news and analysis around Major League Baseball.

Royals Vs. White Sox: Late Homer Dooms Kansas City

Gordon Beckham hit a solo home run off Luis Mendoza to break a tie in the bottom of the eighth and the White Sox held on for a 4-2 in Chicago on Monday night.

Mendoza went 7 1/3 innings in the start and gave up four earned runs, including two in the eighth. The White Sox got on the board first thanks to an RBI-double from A.J. Pierzynski. The Royals tied the game on a solo home run in the fifth from Jeff Francoeur and took the lead on a solo shot from Billy Butler in the seventh, but Chicago tied the game with a solo homer from Paul Konerko in the bottom frame.

Francoeur went 2-for-4, while Butler went 1-for-4. Chris Getz went 2-for-3.

Royals Give Away Jose Mijares For Absolutely Nothing In Return

Technically, the Kansas City Royals lost Jose Mijares in a waiver claim to the San Francisco Giants. Unofficially, the Royals somehow keep giving the Giants more assets for the heck of it, after already being taken in a trade last offseason in the Melky Cabrera-Jonathan Sanchez deal.

It's hard to tell what to make of today's announcement that the Royals had waived Mijares and yet failed to pull him back after he was claimed. Instead of working out a minor deal with the Giants to gain some asset, the team just wanted to move on from a pitcher with a 2.56 ERA all season.

"Jose did a perfect job for us," general manager Dayton Moore said. "We just felt that after some opportunities to move him fell through, we needed to give those innings to other pitchers that potentially are going to be a part of our future."

"For us, really, he wasn't a guy that was going to be a long-term fix," manager Ned Yost added. "We wanted to look at Bueno, who's been up here on short stints before and has been throwing well at Triple-A. [He] could be more of a long-term option for us."

So instead of moving an asset for, you know, an asset in return, the Royals chose to give away, literally, a player who has actually done well for them in 2012 -- one of the few. Go figure.

For more on the Chicago White Sox, make sure to check out South Side Sox. For more on the Kansas City Royals, Royals Review is the place to be.

Royals Vs. White Sox: Monday Night Lineups

After avoiding a sweep at the hands of the Texas Rangers on Sunday, the Royals look to start a modest winning streak on Monday, as they take on the AL Central leading Chicago White Sox.

Ned Yost and Robin Ventura have both announced the starting lineups for Monday night's contest, and here they are:

Kansas City Royals

LF Alex Gordon
SS Alcides Escobar
CF Lorenzo Cain
DH Billy Butler
C Salvador Perez
RF Jeff Francoeur
1B Eric Hosmer
3B Tony Abreu
2B Chris Getz

SP Luis Mendoza

Chicago White Sox

CF Jordan Danks
3B Kevin Youkilis
DH Adam Dunn
1B Paul Konerko
RF Alex Rios
C A.J. Pierzynski
LF Dayan Viciedo
SS Alexei Ramirez
2B Gordon Beckham

SP Chris Sale

Kansas City's offense certainly has a tough task, as Chris Sale has been one of the best pitchers in baseball this season.

Noticeably absent from KC's lineup is Yuiniesky Betancourt, who was designated for assignment following Sunday's win over the Rangers.

For more on the Royals, be sure to check out Royals Review.

Royals Vs. White Sox: Game Time, TV Schedule And More

The best and the worst team in the AL Central face off on Monday as the Chicago White Sox welcome the Kansas City Royals to town.

The Royals will hope to get a good outing from Luis Mendoza (5-7, 4.32 ERA). The 28-year old right-hander started against the White Sox on July 15 and allowed two runs over seven-and-one-third innings in a no decision.

Opposing him will be Chris Sale (12-3, 2.61 ERA). Sale opposed Mendoza in that July 15 start and got the win, allowing one run over eight innings. Billy Butler is 4-for-11 against Sale with a home run in his career.

First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 CT and the game can be seen locally on Fox Sports Kansas City.

For more on the Chicago White Sox, make sure to check out South Side Sox. For more on the Kansas City Royals, Royals Review is the place to be.

Royals Vs. White Sox: AL Central Battle Awaits Kansas City, Chicago Fans

The Kansas City Royals are obviously out of contention in the AL Central, but that doesn't mean that the last two months of baseball are without meaning.