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Bob Dutton’s vlog | Royals 9, White Sox 1
CHICAGO | So this is what it looks like from the other side.
The Royals pulled a role reversal Saturday night on the Chicago White Sox in a 9-1 victory at U.S. Cellular Field.
Start with a well-pitched start by Gil Meche, add two-run homers by John Buck and Billy Butler, a three-run double by Mike Aviles and finish it with some fine bullpen work.
Aviles’ double was the knockout blow in a six-run eighth inning. It was a two-out bloop to left that cleared the bases.
“I got lucky,” he said. “I was flying open with my swing, and I was just fortunate enough to get a pitch that was a little bit up. Right placement. We got three more runs.
“That’s why I say it was lucky.”
The White Sox have been doing much the same, it seems, for years to the Royals. Especially here. Is that luck?
“We’ve been on the other end of that quite a few times,” Aviles said. “It feels good to be on this end.”
Meche, 7-9, allowed just one run and two hits in 6 1/3 innings before the bullpen closed out the victory — only the 19th for the Royals in their last 71 games at The Cell.
“I had a lot of time off,” Meche said, “and I’m ready to pitch. Coming out of the bullpen (to start the game), I had a good live fastball, and I used it a lot.”
Meche retired the first seven hitters and 16 of the first 17, but Chicago starter Gavin Floyd, 10-6, was equally tough until the fifth. That’s when third baseman Joe Crede booted Ross Gload’s leadoff grounder, and Buck followed with a two-run homer.
The Royals added another run later in the inning on Butler’s two-out RBI single.
Butler and Buck reversed roles in the sixth-run eighth against relievers Boone Logan, Nick Masset and Adam Russell. Butler’s homer against Masset followed a leadoff single by David DeJesus and extended the lead to 5-1.
“It was a 2-0 pitch,” Butler said, “and I was zoned up and trying to get something to drive.”
Buck’s RBI single against Masset made it 6-1. Aviles closed the scoring with his three-run double against Russell. The Royals sent 10 players to the plate.
“It was good to get those crooked numbers up there,” manager Trey Hillman said. “Bucky’s homer woke us up a little bit. The best thing was to see us continue to have (high-) quality at-bats.”
Butler’s three-RBI game followed a four-RBI burst in Friday’s 9-5 loss. He also has homers in successive games for the first time in his career. Butler had just one RBI in his 25 previous games.
“It’s a good feeling,” Butler said. “You hope for more of those to come. I’m not worrying about hitting the ball out of the park. I’m just trying to square it up. I got underneath it, and it went out.”
Buck’s three RBIs matched a season high. Aviles extended his hitting streak to nine games. Seven players scored at least one run.
The balanced attack compensated for the absence of outfielder José Guillen, who missed his second straight game because of back spasms. Guillen is expected to play this afternoon in the series finale.
Floyd was 7-1 with a 2.45 ERA in his previous 11 home starts. He yielded just one earned run to the Royals in six innings but trailed 3-1 when he departed.
The White Sox scored their only run on Orlando Cabrera’s sacrifice fly in the sixth. Relievers Ron Mahay, Ramon Ramirez and Horacio Ramirez didn’t allow a hit over the final 2 2/3 innings.
Meche was in top form. He never permitted more than one runner in any inning. He struck out six and lowered his ERA to 4.55.
“That was probably one of the best jobs that Gil has done all season of using both sides of the plate,” Hillman said.
“We’ve got to keep him firing like he did today.”
It continues Meche’s extended upswing after a miserable first month. He has won four of his last five decisions and has a 3.61 ERA in his last 16 starts — after going 1-3 with an 8.00 ERA in his first five.
“You throw that bad to begin the season,” he said, “it’s going to take a while to get your numbers back to where you want them to be. I’ve been battling.”
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