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Sale plans on pitching White Sox over Royals

Sep 17, 2014 - 2:33 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - Chris Sale gets to play spoiler on Wednesday when the Chicago White Sox close out a three-game series with the playoff hopeful Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium.

Sale has been one of the top pitchers in baseball this season and was at his best last Wednesday against Oakland, as he allowed just two hits and struck out nine Athletics over eight scoreless innings to run his record to 12-3, while lowering his ERA to 1.99.

It was the fourth time in nine starts that he hadn't given up an earned run.

"I'm not a numbers guy, I don't care about any of that stuff," said Sale, who is trying to become the first White Sox pitcher to lead the AL in ERA since Joe Horlen in 1967.

Sale has given up just one run in two starts against the Royals this season and has pitched to a 2.36 ERA in 12 starts against them.

Kansas City, which is vying for its first postseason appearance since 1985, had an opportunity to close within a half-game of the Detroit Tigers in the American League Central on Tuesday, but Conor Gillaspie's three-run triple in the seventh inning lifted Chicago to a 7-5 victory.

Josh Phegley and Adam Eaton singled to begin the fateful seventh off Kelvin Herrera (3-3) -- one of eight relievers used by Kansas City. Alexei Ramirez grounded out to put runners at the corners before Wade Davis was called upon.

Davis walked Jose Abreu to load the bases, and Gillaspie split the gap in right-center to clear them and give the White Sox the two-run edge.

"I just didn't make the pitches I needed to make to get us out of that inning," Davis said.

Davis and Herrera both relinquished impressive scoreless streaks, with Davis going 31 2/3 innings and Herrera's stretch ending at 31.

"Those guys are impressive coming out of the pen, throwing 95 to 100. Every single one of those guys has good stuff. I think it shows the resilience of our team," Eaton said.

Despite the loss, the Royals still remain one game ahead of the Seattle Mariners for the second wild card spot.

"You make your own momentum every night," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "Your momentum's as good as your starting pitcher."

Eric Surkamp (2-0) threw a scoreless inning of relief to earn the victory in the seesaw battle, while Zach Putnam tossed a perfect ninth to collect his fifth save of the season.

Kansas City will hand the ball to Yordano Ventura on Wednesday, as the 23- year-old right-hander tries to bounce back from a loss to Boston his last time out. Ventura gave up four runs (3 earned) and eight hits in seven innings of that one and fell to 12-10 to go along with a 3.27 ERA.

He has posted a 2.47 ERA in his last eight starts.

Ventura, though, has lost both of his starts to the White Sox this season and has surrendered eight runs in 10 innings of those outings.

Kansas City has won nine of its 14 matchups with the White Sox this season.