KANSAS CITY—Melky Cabrera had four hits, including a home run, and Billy Butler hit a three-run homer to lead the Kansas City Royals to a 7-2 victory over the White Sox on Thursday night.The loss officially eliminated the White Sox from the Division race.The Royals’ five-game winning streak is their longest since they won five straight from Sept. 7-11, 2009. Cabrera’s four-hit game matched a career high and his double in the sixth was his 40th as an outfielder — he has one as a DH. The Royals are the first team in major league history to have three outfielders with 40 or more doubles. Alex Gordon and Jeff Francoeur both have 45.Butler’s 19th home run in the sixth inning came off Mark Buehrle (11-9), who has lost five of his last six starts. Buehrle, who gave up a career high 15 hits, left in the seventh inning after being struck by a line drive hit by Alcides Escobar.Cabrera homered in the first, while Butler scored on Salvador Perez’s two-out single for the second run of the inning.Left-hander Jeff Francis, who was 1-5 in his previous seven starts, allowed two runs, eight hits and two walks in six innings. Both runs off Francis (6-16) came on sacrifice flies — by Alex Ramirez in the third and Tyler Flowers in the sixth.Every Royal had a hit except for Gordon, who walked twice. Perez’s three hits matched his career high, while Yamaico Navarro drove in two runs with a single and a sacrifice fly.The White Sox opened the sixth with singles by Paul Konerko, Alex Rios and A.J. Pierzynski, but Francis limited them to one run on Flowers’ sacrifice fly.

NOTES—Royals RHP Luke Hochevar is being shut down for the remainder of the season after throwing a career-high 198 innings, 90 more than last year when he missed 2 1/2 months with an elbow injury. Hochevar finishes with an 11-11 record and 4.68 ERA. The Royals are 5-0 when Navarro is the starting third baseman. White Sox C Ramon Castro, who went on the DL on July 10 with a broken right hand, is rehabbing with the team in Kansas City. RHP Phillip Humber, who starts Friday for the White Sox, pitched last year for the Royals, going 2-1 in eight games, but only one start. RHP Felipe Paulino, who allowed two hits and two runs in seven innings in beating Seattle 4-2 on Saturday, will start for the Royals.