Southpaw rookie Everett Teaford makes the second start of
his big-league career tonight when the Kansas City Royals host the Chicago
White Sox in game three of a four-game series at Kauffman Stadium.

The Royals captured game two dramatically when Eric Hosmer’s RBI double over
the head of Juan Pierre in the ninth inning lifted them over the White Sox,
7-6.

Hosmer’s double capped off a 3-for-5 night. Mike Moustakas went 3-for-4 with a
two-run home run while Jeff Francoeur was 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs
scored for the Royals.

Royals starter Felipe Paulino lasted six innings, surrendering three runs on
seven hits, while walking three and fanning three.

It was the Royals bullpen which couldn’t hold the lead in the seventh and
eighth innings. Blake Wood, Tyler Collins and Aaron Crow combined to allow
five hits and three runs.

Greg Holland (5-1) pitched a flawless ninth, fanning two, as the Royals won
their season-high sixth straight.

White Sox starter Philip Humber got shelled for six runs — five earned — on
nine hits, while walking two and striking out four in six frames.

Teaford, a 12th-round pick out of Georgia Southern in 2006, debuted with 23
straight relief appearances this season before making start No. 1 on Sept. 11
in Seattle and emerging with a 2-1 victory.

He allowed three hits in five scoreless innings, walked one and struck out
five while lowering his season earned run average from 3.21 to 2.73.

His previous long outing had been three innings, which he’d done twice, most
recently against Cleveland on Sept. 2.

He’s faced the White Sox twice and pitched a combined 1 1/3 innings while
allowing two hits.

Chicago counters with 24-year-old Zach Stewart, who’ll make start No. 10 of
his rookie season.

Stewart, a third-round pick of the Cincinnati Reds in 2008, reached the majors
with Toronto earlier this season and was 0-1 in three starts with a 4.86 ERA
in 16 2/3 innings.

He came to Chicago in a July 27 deal that sent Edwin Jackson and Mark Teahen
to Toronto, nearly two years to the day after he was sent from Cincinnati to
the Blue Jays in a trade that involved Scott Rolen.

Stewart has faced Kansas City in his second appearance with the White Sox and
took a 5-1 loss after allowing seven hits and two runs in 6 1/3 innings.

The Royals have won eight of their 13 matchups with the White Sox this season.

©2011 Sports Network. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

(Sports Network) – The Chicago White Sox take aim at their second four-game
sweep of the Minnesota Twins in just over three years as the two clubs
conclude their series this evening.

Pitching has helped the White Sox dominate this set so far after they came in
riding a four-game slide. They won the first portion of a doubleheader on
Monday by a 2-1 margin, then saw Zach Stewart threw a near-perfect game to win
the nightcap.

Last night was Jake Peavy’s turn in Chicago’s second straight shutout as he
battled flu-like symptoms to pitch into the seventh inning of a 3-0 win. He
escaped trouble in each of the first four innings, but ended up allowing only
four hits while striking out nine and winning for the third time in 11 starts
since the beginning of July.

“I’ve been battling a head cold, congestion,” said Peavy. “I was a little more
aggressive. We didn’t have a whole lot of 1-2-3 innings, but I had a good game
plan. I stretched out enough to get a win.”

Alex Rios had a solo homer and Alejandro De Aza had two hits, including an RBI
single for Chicago, which still trails first-place Detroit by eight games in
the American League Central.

Facing three games in two days, the struggling Twins made a rare move as they
became the first time in 25 years to start three players making their major
league debuts in the same game.

Australian-born righty Liam Hendriks (0-1) pitched admirably in his debut, but
was saddled with the loss after giving up three runs on four hits in seven
innings.

“I went out there and attacked my pitch plan,” Hendriks said. “It worked
pretty good. I walked a couple of guys, which is kind of irritating for me. I
hate walking people, but I got out of it and got through it pretty well.”

First baseman Chris Parmelee and center fielder Joe Benson were also called up
from the minor leagues to make their MLB debuts, but arrived to see the Twins
lose their fifth straight game.

Parmelee was 2-for-4 with leadoff singles in the second and fourth innings,
but was stranded at third base both times. Benson batted first in the order
and went 0-for-3 with a walk.

Overall, Minnesota is 3-14 in its past 17 games and has lost eight of its last
nine versus Chicago.

John Danks will try to rebound for the White Sox tonight following his first
loss in five starts last time out.

The left-hander fired a three-hit shutout at Seattle on Aug. 27 before getting
lit up for eight runs over 4 2/3 innings of a loss to the Tigers on Friday.
Danks had been 2-0 in his previous four appearances, but dipped to 6-10 with a
4.01 earned run average on the season.

Danks has faced the Twins just once this season and got a loss back on May 3
despite a quality start. The 26-year-old yielded three runs in eight innings,
but is 6-8 with a 4.95 ERA versus Minnesota lifetime regardless.

Carl Pavano aims to build off his first win since the All-Star break with
tonight’s start versus the White Sox.

The 35-year-old was 0-5 over his previous nine games before recording a win at
the Angels on Friday. He allowed four runs — three earned — on seven hits
over 6 2/3 innings, but did not allow a homer after yielding five in his
previous three outings.

“The guys put together some great at-bats,” said Pavano, who won for the first
time since July 7 at the White Sox. “The Angels are aggressive, but I was able
to keep the ball down in the zone and keep them off-balance.”

The right-hander is 7-11 with a 4.60 ERA and lost to Chicago on Aug. 6 despite
yielding only one earned run in eight innings of work. Pavano is 8-4 with a
3.26 ERA versus the White Sox lifetime.

The Sports Network

SEATTLE (AP) – Dayan Viciedo made a sudden impact in his return to the majors, hitting a three-run homer in his season debut as the Chicago White Sox beat the Seattle Mariners 9-3 Sunday for a sweep.

Tyler Flowers connected for his first career grand slam, helping Gavin Floyd (12-10) cruise to victory.

Viciedo was called up from Triple-A Charlotte on Saturday when the White Sox placed outfielder Carlos Quentin on the 15-day disabled list.

Viciedo put up strong numbers in Charlotte, batting .297 with 20 home runs and 78 RBIs this year. He was up with the White Sox for 38 games in 2010 and hit five home runs with 13 RBIs while batting .308.

Manager Ozzie Guillen said Saturday that Viciedo is up with the team to play, not to sit on the bench. The newly promoted right fielder singled in his first at-bat, then homered over the right-center field fence off Jason Vargas (7-12) the next time up.

The White Sox scored six times in the sixth after Paul Konerko and Alex Rios led off with singles and Viciedo drew a one-out walk that loaded the bases. Flowers cleared them with a shot into the White Sox bullpen in left field.

Gordon Beckham and Juan Pierre got hits to chase Vargas, and Brent Lillibridge and Konerko followed with two more singles off reliever Josh Lueke to drive in a pair and give the White Sox a 9-0 lead.

Floyd blanked the Mariners on just two hits over the first seven innings. Kyle Seager reached on a strikeout to start the eighth as Floyd’s wild pitch careened to the backstop, and Josh Bard ended the Mariners’ 21-inning scoreless streak with a two-run home run off the foul pole in right field.

Singles from Ichiro Suzuki and Franklin Gutierrez forced Floyd from the game. After a single by Dustin Ackley loaded the bases, Will Ohman struck out Casper Wells and got Adam Kennedy to line out.

Bard added an RBI groundout in the ninth.

NOTES: Mariners 1B Justin Smoak is expected to begin a rehab assignment on Monday with Triple-A Tacoma. Smoak broke his nose when a groundball caught him in the face. He was placed on the 15-day disabled list on August 13. … Chicago heads home to begin a three-game series with the Minnesota Twins. Mark Buehrle (10-6) will face Kevin Slowey (0-2) in the series opener on Monday. … Seattle will open a four-game set with the Los Angeles Angels Monday with Blake Beavan (3-4) taking the mound against Joel Pineiro (5-6).

Jered Weaver pitched seven innings of four-hit ball in his first start since signing an $85 million contract extension, and Erick Aybar drove in three runs in the Los Angeles Angels’ sixth straight victory, 8-0 over the White Sox on Wednesday night.

Zach Stewart (1-3) allowed seven hits and seven runs while pitching into the seventh inning for Chicago, which wasn’t able to capitalize on two straight losses by Cleveland. Division-leading Detroit and the Indians both lost earlier Wednesday, but the White Sox remained 6½ games behind the Tigers in third place, which they’ve occupied for most of the last four months.

“They can win or lose all they want, but if we don’t win, it doesn’t really matter,” White Sox outfielder Juan Pierre said. “I know some guys scoreboard-watch, but if we don’t take care of our business, we’ll be making fishing plans here soon. We’ve just got to keep battling and hope we turn things around.”

Alejandro De Aza’s third-inning double was the only extra-base hit for the White Sox, who haven’t been above third place since April. They also missed a chance Tuesday to move above .500 for just the second time in four months.

“We were facing a pretty good guy on the mound,” White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said. “It was just one of those games you throw away and come back the next day. We didn’t pitch good, (and) we didn’t put together anything at all (offensively).”

Until the game got away in the seventh inning, Stewart had made a solid return to the White Sox’s rotation after a stint in the bullpen. He made two starts immediately after arriving in a trade with Toronto on July 27, returning to the rotation after an injury to Philip Humber.

“There were so many big pitches where I just left the ball up and missed my spot,” Stewart said. “I put it in a place where (Mathis) could do something with it, and he did.”

Torii Hunter homered for the Angels, and Jeff Mathis had a two-run double during a three-run second inning in a dominant finale to their nine-game homestand. Los Angeles’ second straight series sweep and Texas’ 13-2 loss to Boston trimmed the Angels’ deficit in the AL West to just 2½ games before they head into a weekend series at Rangers Ballpark on Friday.

“I love the way we’re playing ball right now,” Hunter said. “We’ve got some guys with some heart. We’re going in to play the first-place team, and we’re 2½ games back. We’re riding that wave.”

Los Angeles scored four runs in the seventh, prompting manager Mike Scioscia to call an early night for Weaver (15-6), who received one total run of support in his previous three starts combined. Weaver didn’t need that much help while emphatically ending a four-start winless streak, striking out eight and allowing just one runner to reach third base.

“He throws his cutter and his changeup for strikes, and people sometimes start chasing bad pitches because they’re worried about getting deep into counts,” Guillen said. “That’s the reason we got shut out today. I don’t think he’s the best in the game, but he’s right there.”

A day earlier, Los Angeles announced Weaver had agreed to a five-year deal through 2016, passing up unrestricted free agency to stay in Orange County. Although the Angels scored just eight runs in Weaver’s last six starts, the AL All-Star game starter’s 15 victories already are one short of his career high in 2009.

After Aybar drove home Mark Trumbo for the Angels’ first run in the second inning, Mathis pounded a double into the left-center gap, scoring Vernon Wells and Aybar. Mathis entered the game batting .176, but his rapport with Weaver makes him valuable to the Angels.

Hunter hit a two-out shot well beyond the left-field wall in the third inning, his 18th homer of the season. The steady slugger is closing in on his sixth straight 20-homer season.

Aybar laced a two-run double down the first-base line in the seventh, followed by back-to-back RBI doubles by Alberto Callaspo and Bobby Abreu against reliever Josh Kinney.

NOTES: More bad news for Texas: Scioscia is contemplating using Ervin Santana and Weaver on short rest after 13-game winner Dan Haren starts the opener at Rangers Ballpark. Los Angeles started rookies Garrett Richards and Tyler Chatwood in the first two games of last week’s series with the Rangers, who beat both soundly. … Jake Peavy will start for the White Sox on Friday when they open a series in Seattle against Charlie Furbush and the Mariners. … Abreu’s 547th career double tied him with Manny Ramirez for 25th on baseball’s career list.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Game of the day: Chicago White Sox at Los Angeles Angels, 10:05 p.m. Both the White Sox and Angels are clinging to faint playoff hopes, and this quick two-game series could help either team stay close. White Sox left-hander Mark Buehrle (10-6) took his first loss since June 16 in his last start on Wednesday, and snapped a streak of 18 consecutive starts allowing three earned runs or fewer. Buehrle is just 2-7 with a 4.43 ERA in 19 career appearances against the Angels. Los Angeles right-hander Ervin Santana (9-9) also snapped a long winning streak in his last start Wednesday, taking his first loss since June 21. Santana has a 1.63 ERA since the beginning of July.

Other game to watch: Los Angeles Dodgers at St. Louis, 8:15 p.m. The Cardinals are falling out of the playoff race and the Dodgers were never in it, but the pitching matchup in this game is the best of the night. Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw (15-5) is a strong Cy Young candidate who has won seven of his last eight starts and has allowed two earned runs or fewer in 17 of his 26 starts this season. The Cardinals have won right-hander Kyle Lohse’s last four starts, and Lohse (11-7) seems to be past his early-summer struggles that saw his ERA balloon from 2.13 to 3.46 during June and July.

Games you should have seen:

Seattle 3, Cleveland 2
. Mariners center fielder Franklin Gutierrez broke a 2-2 tie with a sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth inning, sending the Indians to their fourth consecutive loss. Cleveland had runners on second and third with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, but Seattle reliever Brandon League got Ezequiel Carrera to ground out to end the game. Cleveland is a season-high 5 1/2 games behind Detroit in the American League Central.

Los Angeles Dodgers 2, St. Louis 1
. The Dodgers rallied for two runs in the top of the ninth to stun the Cardinals and waste eight-plus sparkling innings by St. Louis starter Chris Carpenter. After Aaron Miles tied the game with a one-out triple to right-center field, Rod Barajas knocked in Miles when he grounded into a fielder’s choice. St. Louis has lost five out of its last seven games to fall nine games out of first place in the National League Central.

Stat you should know:
13. Consecutive wins for the Brewers against the Pirates before Pittsburgh finally beat Milwaukee, 9-2, in the second game of their doubleheader Monday. Pittsburgh is 15 1/2 games out of first place in the NL Central after it was tied for first on July 25.

Star of the night:
Phillies left-hander Cliff Lee pitched seven scoreless innings Monday, allowing three hits and three walks while striking out seven in Philadelphia’s 10-0 win over the Mets. Lee (14-7) has won five consecutive starts, and he has three scoreless outings in his last four.

Chatter: “Soooooo this is what we got…mild grade 2 strain. DL.” — Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins, announcing colorfully on Twitter that his groin injury will send him to the disabled list.

Texas Rangers consolidated top spot in American League East with an important win over the Chicago White Sox in Major League Baseball on Friday.

The Rangers made it 12 wins from 15 games as Mitch Moreland hit two homers and Josh Hamilton another in their 7-4 win over the White Sox.

All their runs came in the fourth and sixth innings.The Washington Nationals hit six runs at the bottom of the ninth inning in an 8-4 upset win over National League East leaders Philadelphia Phillies.

Ryan Zimmerman capped it off with a grand slam after the Phillies had gone 4-0 up at the top of the third.

Austin Jackson hit two runs in the sixth inning to help Detroit Tigers to a 4-1 win over the Cleveland Indians.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia hit a three-run homer as the Boston Red Sox thrashed the Kansas City Royals 7-1, while Johnny Damon scored the go-ahead run as the Tampa Bay Rays edged the Seattle Mariners 3-2.

Boston’s win kept the pressure on the New York Yankees, who top the American League East by just half a game.But they too were in control, easing past the Minnesota Twins 8-1, with Russell Martin hitting two homers.

Pinch-hitter Tyler Colvin hit a walk-off single to help the Chicago Cubs to a 5-4 win over the St Louis Cardinals, while a four-run first inning set the Los Angeles Angels on their way to an 8-3 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.

Rich Harden held the Toronto Blue Jays to just two hits as the Oakland Athletics won their encounter 2-0.

Elsewhere, the Atlanta Braves beat Western leaders Arizona Diamondbacks 4-2, the Houston Astros won their third straight game with a 6-0 defeat of the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers recorded an impressive 8-2 win over the Colorado Rockies.

Milwaukee Brewers were too strong for the New York Mets in a 6-1 win, while San Diego Padres edged the Florida Marlins 4-3.

The Cincinnati Reds had an 11-8 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates in a game that featured 29 hits.