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Alex Gordon hit a two-run homer in the top of the 12th, leading the Kansas City Royals to 4-2 victory over the Chicago White Sox.
Gordon's homer came in the top of the 11th against Donnie Veal. Jarrod Dyson led off the inning with an infield single, then stole second base. A throwing error by Josh Phegley allowed Dyson to advance to third, putting the outfielder in position to score on a shallow flyball.
Gordon decided to steal the glory for himself, hitting a shot to dead-center for his 10th home run off the season. The homer excited the fanbase, none more so than Kevin Scobee of Kings of Kauffman:
I LOVE YOU ALEX MOVE TO CALIFORNIA LETS MAKE THIS SHIT OFFICIAL
— Kevin Scobee (@scobes15) July 28, 2013
Dyson saved the game in the bottom of the tenth inning with a great play of his own. Tim Collins was facing Alejandro De Aza with two outs in the bottom of the 11th with Blake Tekotte on second base. De Aza smacked a single up the middle, but Dyson made a perfect throw to home plate, easily gunning down Tekotte to keep the game going.
The outfielder made an impressive catch in deep centerfield earlier in the game; the Royals defense continues to help this pitching staff save runs.
Bruce Chen turned in a quality start, allowing two runs on three hits over six frames. Chen surrendered an RBI single to Paul Konerko and a solo home run to Adam Dunn, but otherwise kept the slumping White Sox offense in check.
Luke Hochevar, Kelvin Herrera, Collins, Aaron Crow and Greg Holland all kept the White Sox off the scoreboard, keeping the Royals in the game while the offense struggled to score runs of their own.
David Lough plated Alcides Escobar with a single in the first, while Miguel Tejada lined an RBI-double in the fourth. The Royals offense was otherwise ineffective until the Gordon game-winner. Tejada and Dyson both had multi-hit games, while Lough, Escobar and Eric Hosmer each had a single.
Kansas City has now win six straight games, and is 8-2 since the All-Star break. The Royals are 51-51 on the season, but still trail the Detroit Tigers by 7 games in the AL Central.
I don't want to overreact to the recent win streak, as the team still has a ways to go, but they have been fun to watch over the past 10 games. I still don't see them securing a playoff spot, but the Minnesota Twins and New York Mets up next on the schedule, I see no harm in dreaming a little bit. Either way, I plan to enjoy the ride for as long as it lasts and hope you do as well.