Volquez pitches Royals to 3-2 victory over White Sox
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Edinson Volquez and John Danks have known each other for a while, rooming in the minors.
They are very familiar with each other this season squaring off for the fourth time this year. Volquez and the Kansas City Royals came out victors Friday night, beating Danks and the Chicago White Sox 3-2.
"I've known him for a long time in the minor leagues with Texas," Volquez said. "We were roommates three years in a row. He was the first guy to let me drive his car in the United States.
"It was like a four-hour drive from Arizona to Bakersfield, California and he was tired and said, `Can you drive?' I said I can drive, but I don't have a driver's license."
Danks threw six scoreless innings on July 17 to beat Volquez.
"We're tied now," Volquez said as the pair went 2-2 in their matchups this season.
Volquez pitched seven strong innings and Lorenzo Cain doubled home the go-ahead run in the sixth. Volquez (11-6) limited the White Sox to one run and four hits and has allowed three or less runs in seven straight starts, lowering his ERA to 3.11.
Danks (6-9), who has a 9-2 career record against the Royals, gave up three runs on five hits and three walks in six innings.
"I made a couple of mistakes I got burned with," Danks said. "All in all I felt like it was a good day. I just got outpitched by a good pitcher himself."
Cain, who tripled in the first inning but was stranded, doubled into the left-field corner to score Ben Zobrist for the initial run in the sixth. Eric Hosmer drove home Cain with a single, giving him 10 RBIs in the past 11 games.
"Danks has had our number the last few years," Cain said. "To lose two to Detroit was definitely tough, to bounce back today and get a win against a division team is huge."
Alex Rios, who played with the White Sox from 2009-13, laced a double to left field to score Mike Moustakas, who had walked, with the first Kansas City run in the fifth.
Jose Abreu, who has hit safely in 16 of his past 17 games, doubled home Trayce Thompson, who led off the sixth with an infield single for his first big league hit, for the first White Sox run.
Luke Hochevar, who replaced Volquez in the eighth, walked Tyler Flowers and yielded a double to Thompson to start the inning, but recovered to strike out Tyler Saladino and Abreu. Left-hander Franklin Morales retired Melky Cabrera on a fly to the right field warning track to strand the runners as the White Sox went 0 for 9 with runners in scoring position.
"We had plenty of opportunities," White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. "They pitched tough in those situations and we didn't get it done. We had a big one there in the eighth. We had a chance there."
Greg Holland gave up a home run to Adam LaRoche in the ninth, but earned his 24th save in 27 opportunities.
TRAINER'S ROOM
White Sox: CF Adam Eaton left after jamming his left shoulder when he fell catching Zobrist's fly ball in the fourth inning. He is listed as day-to-day.
Royals: LF Alex Gordon (left groin strain) could rehab with Double-A Northwest Arkansas or High-A Wilmington, who are both in the playoffs, in late August or early September, if he is ready, Royals general manager Dayton Moore said.
UP NEXT
White Sox: RHP Jeff Samardzija, who served a five-game suspension for his part in an April 23 brawl with the Royals, starts Saturday. He is 0-4 with a 5.95 ERA in four games against the Royals.
White Sox: RHP Jeremy Guthrie will make his first start since July 29, when he yielded eight runs in 5 1/3 innings in a loss to the Indians.
