DeWayne Wise contributed two solo blasts and Jim Thome also had a home run, allowing the White Sox to inch 2 1/2 games in front of Minnesota in the chase for the AL Central pennant.

Minnesota dropped an 11-1 decision to Tampa Bay earlier Friday.

Mark Buehrle (14-11) picked up the win by giving up three runs on six hits in six innings. Brian Bannister (8-16) who had ended a streak of nine straight losses in his previous outing, gave up seven runs on eight hits in five innings to suffer another setback.

Kansas City had won its previous seven games and held Chicago scoreless into the fourth.

But the White Sox produced six runs in that inning, the first four of them coming on Ramirez' homer. It was his third grand slam of the season, tying a major league record for most in one season by a rookie.