Melky Cabrera had four hits, including a home run, and Billy Butler hit a three-run homer to lead the Kansas City Royals to a 7-2 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Thursday night.
The loss officially eliminated the White Sox from the playoffs.
The Royals' five-game winning streak is their longest since they won five straight from Sept. 7-11, 2009.
Cabrera's four-hit game matched a career high and his double in the sixth was his 40th as an outfielder -- he has one as a DH. The Royals are the first team in major league history to have three outfielders with 40 or more doubles. Alex Gordon and Jeff Francoeur both have 45.
Butler's 19th home run in the sixth inning came off Mark Buehrle (11-9), who has lost five of his last six starts. Buehrle, who gave up a career high 15 hits, left in the seventh inning after being struck by a line drive hit by Alcides Escobar.
Cabrera homered in the first, while Butler scored on Salvador Perez's two-out single for the second run of the inning.
Left-hander Jeff Francis, who was 1-5 in his previous seven starts, allowed two runs, eight hits and two walks in six innings. Both runs off Francis (6-16) came on sacrifice flies -- by Alex Ramirez in the third and Tyler Flowers in the sixth.
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Every Royal had a hit except for Gordon, who walked twice. Perez's three hits matched his career high, while Yamaico Navarro drove in two runs with a single and a sacrifice fly.
The White Sox opened the sixth with singles by Paul Konerko, Alex Rios and A.J. Pierzynski, but Francis limited them to one run on Flowers' sacrifice fly.
