KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Cheslor Cuthbert homered twice and drove in four runs as the Kansas City Royals won consecutive games for the first time this season, defeating the Chicago White Sox 5-4 on Sunday.
Whit Merrifield singled home Alcides Escobar, who was hit by a pitch to leadoff the eighth inning, with the go-ahead run off Bruce Rondon (1-1). Escobar left in the ninth with a left hand contusion.
Cuthbert, who had not homered since August 20 – a span on 109 at-bats – drove a Hector Santiago pitch into the White Sox bullpen in the fourth.
He homered in the fifth with Salvador Perez and Jorge Soler aboard off Chris Volstad. It was Cuthbert’s second career multi-homer game. The other was June 11, 2016.
Royals starter Ian Kennedy left after five innings with a 4-2 lead, but reliever Brian Flynn could not hold it.
Daniel Palka doubled home two White Sox runs in the fourth, giving him five RBIs in two games.
Leury Garcia two-out triple in the sixth scored Trayce Thompson, cutting the Royals lead to 4-3. Nicky Delmonico’s run-producing double in the seventh tied the score.
The Royals loaded the bases with nobody out in the seventh, but failed to score. Kansas City is 4-for-25, .160, with the bases loaded this season
Brandon McCarthy (2-0) picked up the victory, while Blaine Boyer logged his fifth career save and his first since May 29, 2016 while with the Milwaukee Brewers