White Sox 3, Royals 1: Chris Sale worked seven strong innings and Adam Dunn drove in a pair as Chicago took the series opener from visiting Kansas City.

Gordon Beckham added a sacrifice fly while Adam Eaton had two hits and scored a run for the White Sox, who have won three of four since the All-Star break. Sale (9-1) struck out eight and allowed a run on seven hits before Ronald Belisario worked a scoreless eighth inning and Jake Petricka faced the minimum in the ninth for his fourth save.

Danny Valencia drove in the lone run and Alex Gordon had two hits as the Royals remained winless in four games since the break. Jeremy Guthrie (5-9) was reached for three runs on five hits and three walks to absorb the loss.

Sale got all the support he would need in the first when the White Sox loaded the bases on a single, a hit-by-pitch and an error. Dunn followed and bounced the first pitch through the vacated hole at shortstop with the defense over in the shift, plating Eaton and Alexei Ramirez.

Valencia’s two-out single in the fourth scored Gordon to cut the deficit in half, but Chicago got that run back in the sixth when Beckham’s sacrifice fly with the bases loaded plated Dunn. The Royals put a runner on in the ninth with one out before Alcides Escobar grounded into a game-ending double play.

GAME NOTEBOOK: White Sox pitching coach Don Copper missed his second straight game on Monday due to a bout of vertigo. … Royals 1B Eric Hosmer, who is riding a 16-game hitting streak, missed the game with a bruised right hand. … Sale has allowed one earned run in three straight starts to lower his ERA to 2.03.