Chicago,  IL (SportsNetwork.com)  - Billy Butler, Eric Hosmer and Lorenzo Cain
all  knocked in  a pair of runs to  help the streaking Kansas City Royals to a
7-2  win over  the Chicago White Sox  in the  opener of  a three-game  set on
Friday.

Omar  Infante added three  hits and two runs for the Royals, who have won five
straight and eight of 10.

Kansas  City  starter Jeremy  Guthrie (3-6)  grabbed the  win, his first since
April  9, after hurling  5 2/3 innings of two-run ball, striking out a season-
high nine.

"It's  a  good sign to see,  to come out swinging  out of the gate" said
Royals manager Ned Yost. "It was a nice comfort zone for Jeremy."

Adam Eaton and Jose Abreu each had an RBI for theWhite Sox, who had won eight
of their previous 10 against AL Central competition.

Jose  Quintana (3-7) was tagged for six runs on eight hits with six strikeouts
over six innings of work.

"They  were swinging  it,"White Sox manager Robin Ventura said of the Royals.
"We need to score more runs for (Quintana)."

Kansas City pounded out five straight hits to begin the game and jumped out to
a 5-0 lead before theWhite Sox had a chance to bat.

Nori  Aoki,  Infante, Hosmer and Butler  all singled to open the contest, with
Hosmer and Butler each knocking in a run to give the Royals an early lead.

Alex  Gordon then  drove in Hosmer with a  double to the wall in right to make
it 3-0.

After  a strikeout  of Salvador Perez, Cain slugged a two-run double into left
to increase the cushion.

Chicago  got one  back in  the home  half when  Abreu lifted  a sacrifice  fly
into center that scored Eaton.

The  Royals kept their  foot on the pedal, however, as Aoki led off the second
with  a  ground-rule double  to center  and Hosmer knocked  him in two batters
later with a sac fly to center.

The White Sox loaded the bases with no  outs in the home half of the second,
but could only manage to push a run across on a walk from Eaton. Tyler Flowers
and  Gordon Beckham both  struck out around the free pass to Eaton, and Connor
Gillaspie flied out to center as Guthrie escaped the jam.

Each starter settled in from there to keep it a four-run game through six.

Scott Carroll replaced Quintana in the seventh and allowed a one-out single to
Infante,  then  a walk to  Hosmer. Butler followed with  an RBI single to left
to give the Royals some insurance.

Francisley  Bueno  and Kelvin Herrera each  pitched a hitless inning of relief
before the White Sox threatened in the bottom of the ninth off Tim Collins.

Collins allowed an infield single to Leury Garcia and a walk to Eaton to begin
the ninth before getting Beckham to pop out to Perez in foul territory.

Pinch-hitter  Paul  Konerko flied out  to center  and Collins struck out Abreu
looking to end it.

                                   Game Notes

Alcides  Escobar  doubled with  two outs  in the eighth  to extend his hitting
streak  to  a career  high-tying 11  games. Escobar,  however, exited the game
after  pulling  up  with  a  cramp  while going  to  second  ...  Quintana  is
winless  in 10  career  starts against  the  Royals ...  Guthrie  is 4-0  over
his  last five starts in Chicago dating  back to 2012 ... Chicago went 0-for-9
with runners in scoring position and stranded 11 on base.