Royals Throw It Away to Fall 3 1/2 Games Back

Chicago White Sox Manager Jeff Torborg, angry over Carlos Martinez’s inability to bunt, replaced him in the middle of a ninth-inning at-bat Monday night, and the move paid off in a victory.

With the count 0-and-1, Martinez was replaced by Steve Lyons, whose bunt was grabbed by reliever Jeff Montgomery and thrown down the left-field line for an error that allowed two runs to score and gave Chicago a 4-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals.

The Royals fell into third place in the American League West, 3 1/2 games behind first-place Oakland and one game behind the second-place Angels.

The White Sox, held to three hits by Tom Gordon and Steve Crawford, came back when Ivan Calderon led off the ninth with a single and scored the tying run on Carlton Fisk’s double.

Darryl Boston walked, bringing up Martinez--but not for long.

“I was so mad at him, I wanted to kill him,” Torborg said of Martinez, who earlier in the game fouled out trying to bunt with runners at first and second and none out. “Other than that, he could have stayed and hit.

“He blew the first bunt like that, pushing it the wrong way. We told him where to bunt it (in the ninth), and he doesn’t bunt--he stands there and looks at the pitch. I’m dumb, but it doesn’t take that many times to get to me.”

Montgomery (7-3) was trying for his 12th consecutive save.

Lyons was credited with a sacrifice on the bunt, but he said he was worried he might have bunted poorly as well.

“I didn’t get down a really great bunt, but I liked the results anyway,” Lyons said. “I was scared that I bunted it too hard.