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Meche handcuffs White Sox (AP)

Gil Meche shut down a White Sox offense that generated 34 hits in its previous two games, pitching the Kansas City Royals to a 9-1 victory that sliced Chicago's lead in the AL Central to one-half game. "Just kept them off balance for the most part," Meche said Saturday night after combining with three relievers on a two-hitter.

Royals Team Report (Yahoo! Sports)

Zack Greinke pitching in U.S. Cellular Field is not a good mix for the Royals.

Greinke yielded seven runs on 11 hits, three walks and a hit batter in three-plus innings in a 9-5 loss Friday night to the White Sox in the Royals' first game after the All-Star break.

The White Sox sent 11 men to the plate in a six-run first inning. The first eight batters reached base and six scored.

"It was kind of weird, six pitches and five people on base," Greinke said. "Before you know it, it was really bad. The first pitch was a fastball right down the middle. They hit some decent pitches after that. It didn't work out.

"The first three hits were fastballs, then a changeup and the home run (in the second inning) was a curveball.

Six-run first spurs White Sox to 9-5 win (AP)

It was hard to tell that most of the Chicago White Sox had a four-day break. Their batting eyes were sharp and their early approach against Zack Greinke was right on target. Chicago's first eight batters reached Friday night and the White Sox turned seven first-inning singles into six runs in a 9-5 victory over the Kansas City Royals.

Guillen out with back spasms (AP)

Kansas City Royals cleanup hitter Jose Guillen was out of the lineup Friday night against the Chicago White Sox because of back spasms. Manager Trey Hillman said Guillen took batting practice in a cage three straight days during the All-Star break, but he began to have back spasms Thursday night. "Hopefully we'll get him ready for tomorrow.

Nomo retires; Japanese star pitched 2 no-hitters (AP)

Hideo Nomo, who pitched a pair of no-hitters and led a rush of Japanese players to the major leagues, is finished. Nomo announced his retirement Thursday, agent Don Nomura said. Once known for a deceptive delivery and a devastating forkball, the 39-year-old Nomo was released by the Kansas City Royals in late April.

RHP Nomo retires (PA SportsTicker)

Hideo Nomo, who paved the way for Japanese players to come to the major leagues by signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1995, announced his retirement Thursday on his web site.

Pertinent post-All-Star break issues (Yahoo! Sports)

Questions for each team come to mind two at a time as the season enters its second half.

Young stars helping put steroids in MLB history books (Yahoo! Sports)

Barry Bonds is back home in Los Angeles, unemployed and unwanted in the sport he dominated for two decades.

Mariners score go-ahead run on unusual play (AP)

Finally, somebody else messed up even worse than Seattle. Adrian Beltre was caught in a rundown between third base and home in the ninth inning of a tie game Sunday. But he scored the go-ahead run on John Buck's throwing error and the Mariners went into the All-Star break with a 4-3 victory over the Royals that made their AL-worst 37-58 record seem a tiny bit less painful.

DeJesus hits game-ending homer to beat Mariners (AP)

Mark Grudzielanek's milestone hit was a faded memory by the time David DeJesus did what no Royals player had done in more than three years. DeJesus hit a two-run homer with two out in the ninth and the Kansas City Royals rallied for a 5-4 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Saturday night. Mariners closer Brandon Morrow (1-2) retired the first two batters in the ninth before walking pinch-hitter...

Royals' Mark Grudzielanek gets 2,000th hit (AP)

Mark Grudzielanek led off the Kansas City Royals' third inning Saturday night with a single for his 2,000th career hit. Grudzielanek, who also singled in the first inning, hit a 1-0 pitch from Seattle left-hander Jarrod Washburn to center and received a standing ovation from the Kauffman Stadium crowd.

Hochevar pitches Royals to win over Mariners (AP)

Luke Hochevar called it the best outing of his young career. He had to be at his best to beat Felix Hernandez. Hochevar scattered five hits over seven innings and David DeJesus doubled in two runs, helping the Kansas City Royals defeat the Seattle Mariners 3-1 on Friday night. "You could say the light came on with my approach and my pitch-ability tonight," Hochevar said.

Royals OF Guillen scratched from lineup (PA SportsTicker)

Kansas City Royals outfielder Jose Guillen was scratched from the starting lineup of Friday's game against the Seattle Mariners with a stiff neck.

Royals claim lefty Josh Newman off waivers (AP)

The Kansas Royals claimed reliever Josh Newman off waivers from the Colorado Rockies on Friday. Kansas City made room for the lefty on its 40-man roster Friday by recalling right-hander Ryan Braun and placing him on the 60-day disabled list. Braun is recovering from an April 22 elbow surgery. The 26-year-old Newman split the 2008 season between the Rockies and Triple-A Colorado Springs.

Teahen hits inside-the-park homer as KC rallies (AP)

In this series, it wasn't safe to take a lead. The Chicago White Sox overcame deficits of 4-1 and 5-0 to beat Kansas City in the first two games. On Thursday night, it was the Royals' turn as they scored four runs in the eighth, capped by Mark Teahen's inside-the-park homer, and emerged with a 4-1 victory to avoid being swept.

White Sox rally for second straight win over KC (AP)

Carlos Quentin's towering home runs kept Chicago close, then the White Sox went ahead without so much as a pitch being thrown. Fighting back from a 5-0 deficit Wednesday night, the White Sox scored the go-ahead run on Ramon Ramirez's eighth-inning balk to beat the Kansas City Royals, 7-6. "He balked," said Kansas City manager Trey Hillman.

Cabrera has go-ahead RBI in 13th for White Sox (AP)

After a long night of mistakes and misplays ended with Chicago beating Kansas City 8-7 in 13 innings Tuesday, White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen found little to praise. "The only good thing about this game is we win," he said. "That's a pretty bad, a real bad game. Mistakes, bad pitching. For both sides, it was real poor game-playing." Both Chicago and Kansas City used six pitchers in the 4-hour,...

Cloudburst floods parts of Kauffman Stadium (AP)

Emergency crews were mopping up the outfield and working frantically to repair the warning track at Kauffman Stadium on Tuesday after nearly three inches of rain fell in half an hour. The deluge happened at 3 p.m., about four hours before the Royals were set to play the Chicago White Sox, and sent water into the dugouts and both clubhouses, said Chris Richardson, director of event operations.

Willie Randolph's firing parallels Billy Martin's 1978 departure (SportingNews.com)

Willie Randolph's firing is, in some ways, a flashback to the Yankees' firing of Billy Martin in 1978. The Yanks won the World Series that year; can the Mets do the same?

Buck hits 3-run homer in Royals victory over Rays (AP)

A stroke of good luck by Carlos Pena wasn't quite enough for the Tampa Bay Rays. After Pena hit a tying solo homer off All-Star closer Joakim Soria in the ninth, the Royals struck back with 10th-inning home runs by John Buck and Mike Aviles for a 7-4 win Monday. The loss snapped the Rays' seven-game winning streak.

ASG Memories, Round One: Bo-Stan the Man, Freddie-Tony P. (Yahoo! Sports)

And let the games begin ... As next Tuesday's All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium approaches, we're moving through...

The Washington Nationals: Fine programming for shut-ins (Yahoo! Sports)

I think stories about television ratings and sporting events tend to be mind-numbingly boring with the...

Misunderstood or maniac? Rangers' Bradley keeps hitting (SportingNews.com)

Moments after the Texas Rangers' comeback win against the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday night,...

Baseball Power Poll: Rays, Red Sox start series in top 3 (SportingNews.com)

Ryan Fagan takes over for Sean Deveney as the official purveyor of the week that was in baseball. He gives you his weekly rankings every Monday morning.

Baseball power poll: Red Sox need bullpen help, not more power (SportingNews.com)

Every week Sean Deveney ranks every team in the majors.