Royals prevent White Sox from clinching playoff berth

Maikel Garcia drove in three runs, including a tiebreaking RBI double in the seventh inning, as the Kansas City Royals defeated the Chicago White Sox 5-4 on Wednesday night. The defeat prevented the visiting White Sox from clinching a postseason berth, though their playoff magic number decreased to one after the Texas Rangers lost to the New York Mets.

Kansas City jumped to an early 4-0 lead in the first inning against Chicago opener Bryan Hudson before the White Sox countered with four runs in the third inning off Seth Lugo, highlighted by RBI hits from Kyle Teel, Miguel Vargas, and Munetaka Murakami. Reliever Connor Thomas earned the win and Steven Cruz secured his eighth save as Royals relievers limited Chicago to two hits over the final 5 2/3 innings.