CHICAGO -- Danny Duffy couldnt help but think about his last start at U.S. Cellular Field. The Kansas City Royals left-hander matched a career high with nine strikeouts and scattered five hits over seven-plus shutout innings in a 9-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Saturday. His previous outing

CHICAGO -- Danny Duffy couldnt help but think about his last start at U.S. Cellular Field. The Kansas City Royals left-hander matched a career high with nine strikeouts and scattered five hits over seven-plus shutout innings in a 9-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Saturday. His previous outing in Chicago didnt go well at all. Duffy injured his elbow in the first inning on May 13, 2012. Soon after he had Tommy John surgery and missed about a year. "Ive been waiting to come back here for a long time," Duffy said. "Its just nice to come out and do my job in this city and in this setting." The victory was the sixth straight for the Royals while the White Sox dropped their ninth in 10 games against Kansas City. Royals manager Ned Yost said there was a lot to like about Duffys complete effort. "For four innings he was really efficient, he really kept his pitch count down," Yost said. "He had everything working: his fastball, his breaking ball, had a good changeup and had a really, really good defence behind him." Mike Moustakas homered among his three hits as the Royals won their second straight in this weekend series. The Royals scored five times in the fourth -- four with none out -- to chase Chicago starter Hector Noesi (2-5). Noesi allowed five runs -- two earned -- and eight hits while walking one and striking out four. "To be able to put five runs on the board was big," Yost said. "Weve and a couple of big innings the last week or 10 days. Early in the year we get something going we get one or two out of it. Now that were swinging the bats better were getting four or five." Duffy last struck out nine on June 19, 2011, at St. Louis. Hes now 2-0 against Chicago. Duffy departed in the eighth inning after a leadoff single by Adam Eaton. White Sox designated hitter Paul Konerko spoiled the shutout with a homer off Michael Mariot to open the ninth. Two runs scored in the five-run fourth when third baseman Leury Garcia bobbled Lorenzo Cains grounder for an error. Moustakas then singled to shallow centre for another run. Alcides Escobars base hit extended his hitting streak to a career-high 12 games and loaded the bases for the second time in the inning. The Royals fourth run came on Nori Aokis double-play grounder. Omar Infante lined a two-out single to left, driving in Moustakas for a 5-0 lead. Noesi was chased in favour of right-hander reliever Javy Guerra with two outs in the fourth. "Hector, hes been good for us and hes always given us a chance, but we have to help him out on occasion," White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. "If were not helping him on defence, its going to make a difference. Thats a recipe to lose a game in a hurry." Moustakas homer in the eighth inning was his sixth of the season. He finished with two RBIs and two runs scored. Eric Hosmer had an RBI double to left to start a three-run ninth. Butlers one-out homer to right made it 9-0. Despite giving up an eighth inning single to Eaton, Duffys shutout was preserved after Eaton was thrown out at home on a throw by Aoki in a play overturned following a review. NOTES: Escobar was in Saturdays lineup despite having cramps and leaving Fridays game after extending his hitting streak to a career-high 11 games with a ninth inning double. . Kansas City has scored first in each game of its current six-game winning streak. . Royals right-hander James Shields (7-3, 3.44 ERA) makes his 15th start of the season in Sundays series finale against White Sox right-hander Andre Rienzo (4-3, 5.25 ERA), making his 11th start. . After going 63-99 in 2013, Ventura is pleased to have his team in contention this year, but he wont project beyond Saturday. "Were not going to look that far down the road," he said. "Were better off focusing on what were doing today." Bobby Ryan Jersey . Pinch-hitter Tommy Medica singled in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning and the Padres beat the Seattle Mariners 2-1 in their first home game since Gwynn died of cancer Monday. Custom Ottawa Senators Jerseys . Bryant, who signed a five-year, $34 million contract as a free agent with Cleveland in March, reported symptoms on Monday morning, a team spokesman said. http://www.authenticsenatorspro.com/Matt...enators-jersey/. -- Albert Pujols is thrilled to have a reason to forget about his first two disappointing seasons with the Los Angeles Angels. Mark Stone Jersey . -- The Minnesota Vikings have signed Jerome Simpson, the former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver recently convicted on a felony drug charge. Ottawa Senators Jerseys . NORRIS COLE (Heat): Its funny, you watch a guy play and now really produce and it just jumps off the page at you - why? You put a young player with potential in a winning environment where there is veteran leadership, outstanding coaching and management and a way that things are done and its a wonderful environment for growth, improvement in a climate of constant accountability and expectation of achievement/production.Sun City, South Africa (SportsNetwork.com) - Ross Fisher fired a 6-under 66 on Thursday and he grabbed a 2-shot lead after the opening round of the Nedbank Golf Challenge. Fisher picked up his fifth European Tour title earlier this year, and that victory was his first in nearly four years. Fisher played the first round alongside Marcel Siem and George Coetzee. Siem, Coetzee and Alexander Levy share second place at minus-4 at Gary Player Country Club. All three players won this year on the European Tour. Fellow South Africans and past runners-up Charl Schwartzel and Tim Clark opened with 2-under 70s. They were joined in fifth place by Stephen Gallacher, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Louis Oosthuizen. Luke Donald, Brooks Koepka, Thongchai Jaidee, Jonas Blixt and Danny Willett were the final players in red figures at minus-1. Fisher parred four of the first five holes to go with a birdie at the second. He flew up the leaderboard starting with a birdie at the sixth. Fisher made it two in a row as he also birdied the seventh. The Englishman again posted back-to-back birdies at the ninth and 10th, both par-5s, to jump to minus-5. After three pars in a row, Fisher birdied the 14th for his fourth birdie on a par-5 for the round. He followed with another birdie on the 15th to move to minus-7. Fisher tripped to a bogey at the par-3 16th before closing with a paair of pars.dddddddddddd One bogey and seven birdies for a round of 6-under on this golf course - Ill definitely take that and run. I didnt miss many fairways out there and played exactly how I wanted to, Fisher stated. Siem played the front nine in even-par with a bogey at the sixth and a birdie on the ninth. Around the turn, Siem birdied the 10th, 11th, 13th and 14th, but he dropped a shot at the 12th. The German tripped to another bogey on the 15th to dip to minus-2. However, Siem jumped into a share of second place as he holed his approach shot for eagle on the par-4 17th. Coetzee flew out of the gates with three consecutive birdies from the first. After five pars in a row, he birdied nine and 10 to get to 5-under. Coetzee closed his round with a bogey at the last to end two behind. Levy got going with a birdie on the second and he followed with six straight pars from the third. Back-to-back birdies at nine and 10 moved the Frenchman to minus-3. After a birdie at the 13th, Levy parred the final five holes to close out the only bogey-free round of the day. NOTES: Prior to his win earlier this year, Fishers last victory was at the 2010 Irish Open ... Defending champion Thomas Bjorn struggled to an 8-over 80 and he stands in last place in the 30-player field ... This is the first event of the 2014-15 European Tour international schedule. ' ' '