Zack Greinke pitching in U.S. Cellular Field is not a good mix for the Royals.

Greinke yielded seven runs on 11 hits, three walks and a hit batter in three-plus innings in a 9-5 loss Friday night to the White Sox in the Royals' first game after the All-Star break.

The White Sox sent 11 men to the plate in a six-run first inning. The first eight batters reached base and six scored.

"It was kind of weird, six pitches and five people on base," Greinke said. "Before you know it, it was really bad. The first pitch was a fastball right down the middle. They hit some decent pitches after that. It didn't work out.

"The first three hits were fastballs, then a changeup and the home run (in the second inning) was a curveball. They were hitting whatever I threw."

Greinke dropped to 0-6 at U.S. Cellular Field in eight appearances there with an earned run average of 7.78.

"It is starting to come into my head a little bit," Greinke said of pitching here. He has a 2.93 ERA against the White Sox at Kauffman Stadium.

"I haven't figured out what I did wrong yet," Greinke said. "Sometimes it takes me a couple of days to sink in. Maybe I'll figure something out."

WHITE SOX 9, ROYALS 5: Billy Butler drove in four runs, including three with a home run in the sixth that pulled the Royals within 7-4. Mark Grudzielanek drove in the other run, which was unearned in the first, when his single scored Mark Teahen. The Royals were down 6-1 after two innings after a shoddy start by Zack Greinke, who surrendered seven runs on 11 hits in three-plus innings. Greinke's line could have been worse. He left in the fourth with the bases loaded and nobody out, but reliever Joel Peralta bailed him out by retiring the next three batters without allowing a run.

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