CHICAGO — Six innings after being beaned with a pitch from Kansas City starter Glenn Sparkman, Tim Anderson doubled in the go-ahead run in the eighth, lifting the Chicago White Sox to an 8-7 victory over the Kansas City Royals Wednesday night.

Jose Abreu hit a three-run homer, Yoan Moncada also connected and the White Sox swept a three-game series for the first time this season.

Sparkman struck Anderson in the bill of his helmet in the second with nobody out, a runner on first and the White Sox leading 2-1. Anderson’s helmet was knocked off his head, and plate umpire Mark Carlson immediately ejected the 27-year-old right-hander.

It was Anderson’s first at-bat of the series. He had appeared as a pinch runner on Tuesday.

Last month, Anderson was hit by Kansas City’s Brad Keller in the backside after an elaborate bat flip on a home run in his previous at-bat. That sparked a benches-clearing scuffle. Keller was suspended five games and Anderson for one.

Sparkman was making his second start of the season.

Jorge Soler homered and drove in three runs for Kansas City.

Kelvin Herrera (2-3) got the win despite giving up two runs and Alex Colome got the final three outs for his 11th save.

Ian Kennedy (0-2) took the loss.

Moncada’s two-run homer in the first gave Chicago a 2-0 lead. After Kansas City got a run back in the second on an RBI single by Soler, the White Sox broke things open with five runs in the wild bottom half of the inning.

After Sparkman was ejected, Yolmer Sanchez greeted Jorge Lopez with an RBI single, scoring Eloy Jimenez from second base. Charlie Tilson then made it 4-1 with an RBI groundout. Three batters later, Abreu’s three-run smash made it 7-1.

Lopez, though, settled down after that and pitched four scoreless innings.

Kansas City put together a four-run sixth against a tiring Lopez to pull within 7-5. Soler hit a two-run homer, Nicky Lopez had an RBI triple (snapping an 0 for 20 stretch) and Whit Merrifield added an RBI single.

The Royals then tied the game with two runs in the eighth off reliever Kelvin Herrera. Martin Maldonado walked with one out and was replaced by pinch runner Terrance Gore. Billy Hamilton followed with an infield single and then the runners advanced to second and third with a double steal.

Lopez singled to drive in both runners.

JUST A BIT OUTSIDE

Mary Ruich wasn’t expecting much from her ceremonial first pitch. Certainly not national attention. “I knew it wasn’t going to be good, but I thought I’d be close,” she said Wednesday. “It was scary.”

Ruich threw one of the most wayward ceremonial first pitches ever when she plunked a team photographer standing close by, between the mound and first base line, prior to Tuesday’s game.

The ball went right off Darren Georgia’s lens, nowhere near the plate. Ruich, a server in one of the Guaranteed Rate Field restaurants, earned the honor as a White Sox employee of the homestand, the team’s version of employee of the month.

“When I saw the camera get bobbled,” Ruich said, “I was like, `Oh my God! Maybe nobody saw that. I’ll just run away.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

White Sox: SS Anderson wasn’t in the lineup the previous four games because of right wrist soreness.

UP NEXT

Royals: RHP Jakob Junis (3-5, 5.58 ERA) pitches Thursday night in the opener of a four-game series at Texas. LHP Mike Minor (5-3, 2.55) goes for the Rangers.

White Sox: LHP Manny Banuelos (2-4, 7.71 ERA) makes his seventh start of the season Thursday night in the opener of a four-game series with Cleveland. RHP Carlos Carrasco (4-5, 4.60) pitches for the Indians.

— Associated Press —

CHICAGO — Lucas Giolito struck out 10 while winning his fifth straight start and the Chicago White Sox posted their second victory of the day, beating the Kansas City Royals 4-3 on Tuesday night.

Hours after Yolmer Sanchez hit an RBI single in the ninth inning to give Chicago a 2-1 win in the resumption of a suspended game, Giolito (7-1) put on quite a performance.

The right-hander gave up a three-run homer to Alex Gordon in the first, then dominated the rest of the way. Giolito allowed three hits over eight inning and improved to 6-0 in his past eight starts. In his previous outing, he threw his first career shutout, a four-hitter against Houston.

Alex Colome worked the ninth for his 10th save in 10 chances after getting the win earlier in the day. And the White Sox made it back-to-back victories after losing six of eight.

Brad Keller (3-6) gave up four runs and 10 hits in six innings for Kansas City. The Royals have lost nine of 12.

The White Sox tied it in the third on an RBI single by Leury Garcia and back-to-back sacrifice flies by Jose Abreu and Yonder Alonso. Charlie Tilson made it 4-3 with an RBI single in the fourth.

Getting the field into shape was quite a chore after play was stopped Monday in the bottom of the fifth with a runner on second and two outs following two long rain delays totaling about four hours. The game resumed at 5:40 p.m. EDT, ahead of the regularly scheduled night matchup.

With a handful of fans in the stands, Sanchez came through again in the ninth against Kevin McCarthy with the bases loaded.

On Monday, Sanchez hit a tying single in the fifth inning between the breaks.

Sanchez kept the crowd and his teammates entertained during the delays on Monday, doing jumping jacks on the bench. The 26-year-old second baseman also poured a beverage bucket over his head as he stood in the rain, then flapped his arms at third base to make mud angels.

Jake Diekman (0-2) hit Yonder Alonso leading off the ninth. McCarthy relieved and James McCann hit a double over right fielder Whit Merrifield’s head before Tilson was intentionally walked to load the bases.

After a forceout at the plate, Sanchez lined a single to center on a 1-0 pitch for his fifth career game-ending hit. He got mobbed by teammates as he sprinted off the field.

Ivan Nova gave up a run and six hits in five innings. Aaron Bummer worked two scoreless innings. Evan Marshall retired all three batters in the eighth.

Colome (2-0) worked a perfect ninth.

Homer Bailey went 4 1/3 innings, allowing three hits and one run.

Longtime groundskeeper Roger Bossard and his 24-person crew stayed at the ballpark until about 10:15 p.m. Central Monday after 1 3/4″ of rain equaling about 112,000 gallons drenched the field. They used 121 bags of quick dry — about three tons’ worth. And Bossard was back at the ballpark at 7:05 a.m.

“I got to tell you, this is my 53rd year here,” Bossard said. “And you know what? I’ve seen a lot of bad weather. Nothing like this year. It’s really been amazing.”

He also said crew chief Bill Miller made the correct decision to try to continue the game Monday based on the information available.

YIKES!

A White Sox employee of the month got to throw out a first pitch. And, to put it mildly, she was just a little bit off target. The rookie right-hander uncorked one of the most wayward first pitches ever when she plunked a team photographer standing close by, between the mound and first base line. The ball went right off Darren Georgia’s lens, nowhere near the plate. Georgia told NBC Sports Chicago he and the camera were fine. The White Sox didn’t identify the woman pitcher.

TRAINER’S ROOM

White Sox: SS Tim Anderson (sore right wrist) was out of the lineup for the fourth straight game on Tuesday night. He did enter the suspended game to run after Alonso was hit by a pitch. … OF Leury Garcia (sore right shoulder) came in to run in the eighth inning of the suspended game and remained in center field. He then started the scheduled game after being held out of the lineup the previous two. … The White Sox placed RHP Ryan Burr (strained right elbow capsule) on the 10-day injured list and recalled RHP Jose Ruiz from Triple-A Charlotte. The team said Burr will be reevaluated in two weeks.

UP NEXT

Royals: The Royals have not announced a starter for Wednesday.

White Sox: RHP Reynaldo Lopez (3-5, 6.03 ERA) tries to bounce back after getting tagged for eight runs in 3 2/3 innings in a loss at Minnesota on Friday.

— Associated Press —

CHICAGO — Yolmer Sanchez hit a tying single, then entertained his White Sox teammates with a dugout show during a long rain delay before Chicago’s game against the Kansas City Royals was suspended in the fifth inning with the score 1-all Monday.

The teams will pick up Tuesday where they left off, with two outs in the bottom of the fifth and a runner on second. Play is set to begin at 5:40 p.m. EDT, before the regularly scheduled night game.

The clubs waited through a 2-hour, 55-minute delay with the White Sox batting in fifth. The game resumed for only five minutes, long enough for Sanchez to hit an RBI single, before play was halted again. The suspension was announced an hour later.

“We thought there was a window there to be able to continue the game,” White Sox manager Rick Renteria said. “Obviously, we started it and it started coming down pretty soon after we did. It is what it is. You can’t control Mother Nature. She did what she did, and this is where we stand.”

During the break, Sanchez kept the White Sox amused by doing jumping jacks on the bench. Then the 26-year-old second baseman poured a beverage bucket over his head as he stood in the rain. He also made mud angels at third base after play was stopped a second time.

Royals manager Ned Yost praised the umpires, saying they were “absolutely fantastic in trying to get this game in.”

“They did a phenomenal job of giving us every opportunity,” he said. “The weather just wouldn’t cooperate. (Crew chief Bill Miller) tried his best to get this game in for both teams but it just didn’t work out. The field’s a mess right now.”

The rain was coming down hard in the fourth when Kansas City’s Adalberto Mondesi doubled and scored from third on Hunter Dozier’s two-out single .

Chicago had runners on first and second with one out in the fifth after James McCann and Jose Rondon singled against Homer Bailey. Sanchez had a 2-1 count before the first delay hit.

Once the game resumed, Sanchez immediately hit a tying single against Brian Flynn.

Rondon got caught rounding second on the play when right fielder Whit Merrifield threw behind the runner. Sanchez moved to second when Flynn bounced a pitch to Ryan Cordell. Play was stopped again.

Bailey gave up three hits in 4 1/3 innings. Chicago’s Ivan Nova went five innings, allowing six hits.

TRAINER’S ROOM

White Sox: SS Tim Anderson (sore right wrist) said he’s still feeling some pain when he swings, though he “felt a lot better.” Anderson was out of the lineup for the third straight game after being hit by a pitch Friday at Minnesota. … OF Jon Jay (strained right hip) appears close to going on a rehab stint. He was in Chicago being evaluated after staying in Arizona for extended spring training. “I’m dying to go out there and play some baseball, which is what I love to do,” he said. “We’re definitely taking the right steps.” … OF Leury Garcia (sore right shoulder) was out of the lineup for the second straight game.

FOR STARTERS

Yost hasn’t decided who will start Wednesday against Chicago.

Kansas City was thin in the bullpen after playing two doubleheaders last week — a split at St. Louis and sweep by the New York Yankees on Saturday. Yost said his only relievers available Monday were Flynn and Jorge Lopez.

“I was going to try to close with Lopez if I got to that point,” Yost said. “My focus was if we could we could get through six I was going to go with Lopez and before that I was going to go with Flynn, so that’s what I had.”

UP NEXT

Royals: RHP Brad Keller (3-5, 4.43 ERA) goes for his second straight win after tossing seven solid innings against St. Louis last week. He was 0-4 in his previous six starts.

White Sox: Coming off a four-hitter for his first major league shutout, RHP Lucas Giolito (6-1, 2.77 ERA) looks to keep his dominant run going Tuesday. He has won four straight starts and is 5-0 with a 1.98 ERA in his past seven outings.

— Associated Press —