The Chicago White Sox had the fog machine and strobe lights going after their latest victory. Considering how little they have had to celebrate this season Nick Bosa Jersey , they’re not going to let the opportunities go by.

James Shields won for the first time since opening day, Yoan Moncada and Yolmer Sanchez homered to lead off a three-run first, and Chicago beat the Cleveland Indians 5-1 on Tuesday night.

Shields (2-7) gave up one run and four hits in seven innings after going 12 starts and 13 appearances without a win. The veteran right-hander struck out two and did not walk a batter in his first victory since the opener at Kansas City.

”We’re trying to celebrate each win,” Shields said. ”We’re gonna go game by game and try to win the series and enjoy the moment.”

Moncada said through an interpreter that the White Sox started breaking out the fog machine and strobe lights a few weeks ago. On Tuesday, he and Sanchez got the party started .

They connected on consecutive pitches from Adam Plutko. Matt Davidson drove RBI doubles off the center-field wall in both the first and a two-run fifth , and the White Sox beat the AL Central leaders after losing their first four meetings this season.

Recalled from Triple-A Columbus, Plutko (3-1) got tagged for five runs and eight hits in 4 2/3 innings. The 26-year-old righty won his first three major league starts this season before getting knocked around by Chicago.

Shields hit Francisco Lindor in the right foot with his first pitch of the game. He also gave up a sacrifice fly to Jose Ramirez in the sixth, but not much else in a dominant outing .

”He doesn’t have the same stuff that he once had, so he’s learned how to be a pitcher,” Jason Kipnis said. ”To live on the corners, to get guys to hit off his pitches, and he’s done a good job with it and he did a great job tonight. As a team, we’ve got to make an adjustment faster to that, not be chasing those type of pitches.”

HANGING ON

Cleveland stranded two on in the ninth and came up short after winning five of six.

Xavier Cedeno struck out Jason Kipnis with runners on first and third and one out. Yonder Alonso then took second on indifference before Joakim Soria retired Yan Gomes on a fly to the center-field warning track for his ninth save in 11 chances.

GOING DEEP

Moncada lined a 2-1 pitch over the center-field wall for his fourth career leadoff homer – all this season. Sanchez sent Plutko’s next offering out to right-center Christian Wilkins Jersey , giving Chicago back-to-back drives for the fourth time this season. The White Sox had not started a first inning with consecutive homers since Alen Hanson and Sanchez connected against Tampa Bay’s Chris Archer on Sept. 2.

QUOTABLE

”I feel like I’ve been pitching really well for the most part, a lot, this season. But wins haven’t come my way.” – Shields on the victory.

ROSTER MOVE

The Indians optioned catcher and outfielder Francisco Mejia back to Triple-A a day after recalling him, because catcher Roberto Perez did not need to go on the disabled list. Perez was hit by a pitch in the right wrist against Detroit on Sunday.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Indians: 2B Kipnis (neck) was back in the lineup after sitting out the previous two games and so was 1B Edwin Encarnacion (ankle) after missing three in a row. … The Indians continue to hold off on activating OF Brandon Guyer (strained neck) after he was hit in the wrist by a pitch during a rehab game for Columbus on Sunday. Manager Terry Francona indicated they might wait until Thursday, when the White Sox send a lefty to the mound in Carlos Rodon. ”We’re just trying to make sure he’s ready,” Francona said.

White Sox: OF Avisail Garcia (strained right hamstring) went 1 for 2 for Triple-A Charlotte against Durham in his first rehab game on Tuesday.

UP NEXT

Indians: RHP Trevor Bauer (5-4, 2.62 ERA) hopes to continue his mastery over the White Sox after going 2-0 with a 2.19 ERA in two starts against them last year.

White Sox: RHP Dylan Covey (2-1, 2.22) tries to build on another strong outing after throwing three-hit ball over six innings in a 1-0 victory over Chris Sale and the Red Sox at Fenway Park on Friday.

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Royals eliminated the Houston Astros in the 2015 postseason while on their way to winning the World Series.

The two clubs have taken different paths since.

The Astros, who are the 2017 World Series champions, bring an eight-game winning streak Friday to Kansas City for the opener of a three-game series.

On the other hand, the Royals have lost nine of 10 and are in last place in the American League Central. Only the Baltimore Orioles have a worse record than the Royals (22-46). And nobody has a worse home record than the Royals, who have lost 23 of 33 at Kauffman Stadium.

“This losing is getting old,” Royals starting pitcher Jason Hammel said.

Kansas City manager Ned Yost is trying to keep the spirits of the players uplifted during trying times.

“It’s easier when you’ve got guys where winning and competitiveness is ingrained in their character http://www.thedolphinsfootballauthentic.com/michael-deiter-jersey-authentic ,” Yost said. “You just don’t take a loser and make him a winner. Our scouting department, our player development people have drafted winners, and when things are going rough they continue to battle, they continue to fight, they continue to compete.”

There are a few leftovers from the 2015 championship club. That includes Mike Moustakas, Alex Gordon, Salvador Perez, Kelvin Herrera and Alcides Escobar.

“It’s been fun to watch our veteran guys to continue to push and support and compete their tail off every single day,” Yost said. “Dayton (Moore, general manager) says draft winners. Get the most talented kids, but draft winners. That’s number one.

“We want kids that compete, love to play. We want guys that long to get better and understand the process of getting better. That’s what we look for. These kids, 95 out of 100, have that ingrained character trait or else they probably wouldn’t be here.”

The Astros are built for repeating. They are in a dogfight with the Seattle Mariners for first place in the AL West. The Royals are looking to 2021-22 as when they could be legitimate contenders.

In a 3-2 loss on Sunday at Oakland http://www.cardinalsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-zach-allen-jersey , Brad Keller made his third big league start. Yost used Scott Barlow, Tim Hill and Jason Adam in relief that afternoon. None of the four had ever thrown a pitch in the majors before this season.

“It’s what we have,” Yost said. “We like our young pitching.”

It is more about tomorrow than today.

“Part of this process every single day is we’re evaluating which guys are we going to move forward with,” Yost said. “We’re looking at which guys have that ability to continue to grow and get better and be part of a championship club.

“When it is all said and done, that’s what you’re looking for. You’re trying to build a championship club again. A lot of players that are going to be on the next championship club aren’t here. They’re working their way up the farm system right now.

“But we do have a pretty good little group of guys that are going to be here when that time comes. They need to continue to develop, seek consistency in their game and their command. We like what we see out of them so far.”

The Astros will start right-hander Charlie Morton, who is 7-1 with a 2.82 ERA, in the opener. He will try to become the fourth Houston starter with at least eight victories.

Morton is coming off one of the strangest no-decision lines. In his previous start against the Texas Rangers, Morton walked six and hit four batters in 3 2/3 innings but allowed only two runs (one earned).

Morton is 0-2 with a 6.17 ERA in two starts against Kansas City.

Right-hander Jakob Junis will start for the Royals. He is 5-6 with a 4.05 ERA in 13 starts. No other Kansas City starter has more than three wins. Junis has lost his last three decisions. All five of his wins have come after a Royals loss.

This will be his second career start against Houston. He got a no-decision against the Astros on June 6, 2017, although he allowed seven runs (three unearned) in 3 2/3 innings.

He is 3-4 with a 4.19 ERA in seven home starts this season.