MJ Melendez hit a home run in the seventh inning as the host Kansas City Royals defeated the Chicago White Sox 8-3 Wednesday night in the third game of a four-game series.

Melendez finished 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs.

Josh Staumont (3-1) pitched a perfect seventh for the victory. Jake Diekman (5-2) took the loss.

Neither starter factored in the decision. The Royals’ Kris Bubic allowed three runs (one earned) on seven hits in 5 2/3 innings. He managed to avoid trouble until the sixth, when the White Sox got all three runs off him. Chicago’s Johnny Cueto allowed three runs (two earned) on nine hits through six.

Bubic worked out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the second. He allowed a leadoff double to Jose Abreu, then walked Andrew Vaughn. With one out, he walked Yasmani Grandal. But he got Gavin Sheets to line out to short left and got Lenyn Sosa to strike out to end the inning.

Bobby Witt Jr. put the Royals ahead in the third with a two-out single. Kyle Isbel reached on a one-out double that was scorched past first baseman Abreu. Witt then drove him home with a solid single through the hole at short.

Bubic loaded the bases with one out again in the sixth. Sheets’ line drive ate up Michael Massey at second, which was ruled an error and scored two runs. Josh Harrison singled with two outs to score Grandal and end Bubic’s night.

Witt beat out an infield hit leading off the sixth and then scored on a double by Salvador Perez. Perez went to third on an error on third baseman Yoan Moncada, allowing Hunter Dozier to reach base. With two outs, Massey singled to the opposite field, scoring Perez.

Melendez then gave the Royals the lead with his 14th home run into the bullpen in right. The Royals added four more in the eighth on a two-run single by Isbel and RBI singles by Melendez and Perez.

–Field Level Media