John Danks goes 7 strong innings as streaking White Sox beat sinking Royals 5-0

Danks dominates Royals in Chicago’s 5-0 win

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — John Danks threw 7 1-3 shutout innings and got a big lift from reliever Scott Linebrink as the Chicago White Sox beat the Kansas City Royals 5-0 on Friday night for their seventh straight victory.

A. J. Pierzynski homered and he and Scott Podsednik both had three hits for the White Sox (42-38), who won for the 11th time in 13 games and went a season-high four games over .500.

Chicago has won five straight over the Royals, who have lost seven of nine and scored just three runs in their last four games.

Zack Greinke (10-4) lost to the White Sox for the first time in three decisions this season and hardly looked like the overpowering right-hander who began the year 6-0.

Danks (7-6) gave up five hits while striking out seven and not allowing a walk. He left with one out in the seventh after the Royals loaded the bases on two singles and shortstop Jayson Nix’s error. Linebrink came in and got a double play grounder from Alberto Callaspo, whose error at second base led to two unearned runs in the third. Linebrink got his second save.

Greinke gave up four runs and nine hits in six innings and his major league-leading ERA went from 1.95 to 2.00. He walked one and struck out six.

Callaspo, for the second time in three days, let a two-out routine grounder scoot under his glove that resulted in unearned runs. Jim Thome hit what should have been an easy out right at the second baseman, who has 10 errors, but the ball rolled into center field as Podsednik scored from second. Paul Konerko followed with an RBI double that put the White Sox up 3-0.

When Callaspo made a play on Chris Getz’s hot grounder the next inning, the sellout crowd gave him a loud, derisive cheer.

Pierzynski’s solo homer came in the second and Thome had an RBI single in the seventh. The Royals had runners at first and second and no outs in the ninth but Miguel Olivo grounded into a double play and Mike Jacobs flied out.

NOTES: Kansas City INF Willie Bloomquist was a late scratch when he had to leave the park for an undisclosed family emergency. … Chicago OF Carlos Quentin, on the DL for more than a month with a painful foot condition, left the team for a rehab assignment at Triple-A Charlotte. The White Sox are not sure when he’ll return. … The game was the eighth sellout of the season and the crowd of 39,026 was the largest in Kauffman Stadium since opening day 2007 against the Red Sox. … The Royals are hoping to get 3B Alex Gordon back shortly after the All-Star break. He played only seven games before going on the DL with a hip injury.