Royal pains: K.C. stops skid, ends ChiSox's hot streak

CHICAGO (AP) -- Runelvys Hernandez looked at his past for answers.

After looking at tapes from his 2003 season, Hernandez allowed two runs in 7 2/3 innings for his first win in four starts, leading the Kansas City Royals over the White Sox 4-2 Tuesday night and stopping Chicago's five-game winning streak.

Hernandez (3-7), who allowed eight hits, had been 0-3 since July 21 and entered with a 16.43 ERA against the White Sox in two prior starts this season.

"When you think everything is going to be better you have to work really hard to get better," said Hernandez. "That's what I've been doing right now. I have been looking at my videotape from 2003."

Hernandez, who was 7-5 with a 4.61 ERA in 2003, got help from three double plays turned by the Royals.

"He pitched a nice game. You have to credit him," Jim Thome said. "I think he hit his spots real well. He pitched ahead, worked quick and kept his defense into the game. We just didn't get a lot going."

Chicago, which lost for the second time in eight games, trails Detroit by 6½ games in the AL Central and holds a two-game lead over Minnesota in the wild-card race.

Mark Teahen and Emil Brown homered for the Royals, who had lost five straight since sweeping a three-game series against Boston last week.

"We've had a stretch here where not much has clicked right so it was nice to see that tonight," Teahen said.

With the score 2-all in the sixth, Mark Grudzielanek singled against Javier Vazquez (11-7) and Teahen followed with his 14th homer.

"It was a hit-and-run home run," Royals manager Buddy Bell said. "So if you don't hit the ball on the ground on a hit-and-run, you need to hit it out of the park, and that's what he did. So it's OK. But I have never seen that before."

Joe Nelson pitched a perfect ninth inning for his first career save.

Vazquez gave up four runs -- three earned -- and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings.

"I felt like I didn't have the command that I usually have even though I didn't walk a lot of guys, but I was behind in the count a lot and I was just missing on the corners," Vazquez said. "I really made one bad pitch, and that was a hanging changeup to Teahen."

Brown hit his 11th homer in the second inning, and right fielder Jermaine Dye dropped Angel Berroa's two-out fly ball to right in the fifth, allowing Ryan Shealy to score from second on the error.

Chicago tied the score in the bottom half on Scott Podsednik's sacrifice fly and Tadahito Iguchi's RBI single. Thome followed with a double to right, but Iguchi was throw out at the plate on Grudzielanek's relay throw from right fielder Reggie Sanders.

Game notes
Dye committed his fifth error of the season. ... The Royals hired Steve Williams as assistant director of scouting. ... The White Sox drew 35,690 for their 40th sellout of the season, their 20th straight.