KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kila Ka'aihue homered and Kyle Davies gave up three hits in seven-plus innings and the Kansas City Royals beat the Chicago White Sox 5-2 today.

David DeJesus hit an inside-the-park home run, and Alex Gordon also homered for the Royals, who won for the eighth time in nine games. The White Sox have lost nine of their past 13 road games.

The White Sox remained 2½ games in front of the Minnesota Twins, who lost 7-2 at Tampa Bay earlier Saturday, in the American League Central.

Davies (8-7), who has allowed just seven hits and two runs in 15 innings in winning his past two starts, yielded leadoff singles to Orlando Cabrera and Jim Thome in the first and second innings, but erased both with double plays. Davies faced the minimum number of batters in the first seven innings, retiring 17 in a row in one stretch.

Joakim Soria worked the ninth to log his 41st save in 44 opportunities, but not before some dramatics. He walked Dewayne Wise to lead off the inning and A.J. Pierzynski reached on an infield single. Jermaine Dye drove a pitch to the left-field bullpen fence, where Mark Teahen caught it, before Soria struck out Thome to end the game.

Davies, who is 3-1 with a 2.45 ERA in his past four starts, lost his shutout bid in the eighth when he walked Thome and Alexei Ramirez hit his 20th homer.

Gordon homered, his 15th, with Teahen aboard in the second inning.

DeJesus' drive in the third landed high off the right-field wall as Dye fell down while attempting to catch it. DeJesus extended his hitting streak to 11 games.

Ka'aihue, who hit 37 home runs in the minors this season to earn a September call-up, hit his first big league homer, deep into the right-field seats, in the seventh.

Gavin Floyd (16-8) took the loss, only his second in 12 starts since July 19, giving up five runs and eight hits in 6 1-3 innings, while striking out four and walking none.

Alberto Callaspo doubled, extending his hitting streak to a career-high 14 games, to chase Floyd in the seventh. Mike Aviles contributed a run-producing double in the seventh off Mike MacDougal, the third White Sox pitcher of the inning.