Dylan Cease benefitted from a pair of five-run innings as the Chicago White Sox trounced the Kansas City Royals 11-6 Thursday night at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Mo.

The White Sox had home runs from Edwin Encarnacion, Tim Anderson and Luis Robert.

Cease (5-2) earned the win, allowing three runs on four hits in five-plus innings. He battled all night, recording only one 1-2-3 inning.

Danny Duffy (2-3) took the loss. He settled down after a five-run second inning, and retired the last seven hitters he faced, but he gave up six runs on seven hits in six innings.

The White Sox (23-15) pulled to within a half-game of the idle Cleveland Indians in the American League Central and a game ahead of the third-place Minnesota Twins.

The Royals (14-24) got on the board first when Hunter Dozier lined one over the wall in left center in the first inning for a solo homer. But the lead was short-lived.

The White Sox answered in the second when Encarnacion blasted one 442 feet to left leading off. Duffy then fell apart. He walked Robert with one out, gave up back-to-back singles and walked Anderson to force in a run. A wild pitch scored another run one out later before Duffy walked Yasmani Grandal to load the bases again. Jose Abreu doubled off the wall, scoring two more. Alex Gordon's 101st career outfield assist led to an out at the plate and the end of the inning.

Anderson's one-out home run in the fourth gave the White Sox a 6-1 lead.

The Royals chased Cease with back-to-back doubles by Maikel Franco and Gordon leading off the sixth inning. Edward Olivares, making his Royals debut, singled before Nicky Lopez drove in Gordon and Olivares with a double to right.

But the White Sox came right back in the seventh. Reliever Jake Newberry faced six batters and five scored, three on a home run by Robert that traveled 458 feet. Abreu added his second hit, and third RBI, in the inning.

The Royals added a pair of runs in the eighth on RBI groundouts.

--Field Level Media