The White Sox pounded out 13 hits, while Tommy John scattered eight hits over nine innings as Chicago cruised to a 7-0 win over the Royals at Municipal Stadium.

Royals starter Dick Drago worked around baserunners in each of the first three innings, but wasn’t as fortunate in the fourth. Bill Melton started the inning with a single, ahead of Ed Herrmann’s seventh home run of the year. Bob Christian followed that with a walk and Bob Spence doubled, moving Christian to third. Bobby Knoop’s groundout scored Chicago’s third run of the inning before Drago got the next two men out.

The White Sox kept the offense going in the sixth, after having a runner thrown out at home in the fifth. Jerry Cram entered the game in relief of Drago and started the sixth by walking John with one out. After a walk with two outs, Walt Williams singled to drive in John.

Chicago added an unearned run in the seventh. Herrmann walked with one out and took third on Christian’s single. When Christian tried to steal second, catcher Buck Martinez made a bad throw and Herrmann scored easily for a 5-0 lead.

The White Sox capped the scoring in the eighth, with a Williams single driving in two more runs.

Meanwhile, the Royals never could quite figure out John. The veteran lefthander, still six years away from undergoing the famous elbow surgery that bears his name, struck out three and walked two. Seven of the Royals’ hits were singles, with a Fran Healy double the exception. The Royals also grounded into two double plays, including one that ended the game.

With the loss, the Royals fell to 63-87 on the season. They were now tied for fourth place in the AL West with Chicago, with both teams 27 games behind Minnesota.

Box score and play-by-play: https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/KCA/KCA196909190.shtml

Today’s birthdays: Lenny DiNardo (1979), Danny Valencia (1984)