KANSAS CITY — The Kansas City Royals announced today that the club will not tender a 2012 Major League contract to left-handed pitcher Aaron Laffey.

The remaining 31 unsigned players on the 40-man Major League roster will be tendered Major League contracts for 2012. Pitchers Noel Arguelles, Jonathan Broxton, Bruce Chen, Aaron Crow and Joakim Soria, as well as designated hitter Billy Butler and outfielder Jeff Francoeur are signed for 2012. The Royals roster now stands at 38.

Laffey, 26, was claimed on outright waivers by the Royals on October 11.

Published: Nov. 23, 2011 at 8:42 PM

KANSAS CITY, Mo., Nov. 23 (UPI) — Starting pitcher Bruce Chen and the Kansas City Royals agreed to terms on a 2-year contract Wednesday, the team announced.

Chen compiled a 12-8 record and 3.77 ERA with a Royals team that went 71-91 last season.

The deal is contingent on the 34-year-old Panama native passing a physical.

The left-hander sports a 60-58 record with a 4.52 ERA in 317 games over a 13-year career, including 169 as a starter.

The well-traveled Chen has pitched for the Braves, Phillies, Mets, Expos, Reds, Astros, Red Sox, Orioles, Rangers and Royals.

Pierzynski homered twice among his four hits and drove in four runs as the Chicago White Sox snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 10-5 victory over the Royals on Sunday.

The Royals were looking for their first winning streak of more than seven games since starting the 2003 9-0.

The Royals are hitting .380 on this homestand.

“And we still lost,” Royals manager Ned Yost said of the 15 hits.

Bruce Chen, who broke Pierzynski’s wrist with a pitch on Aug. 12, took the loss. He allowed four runs on nine hits in 5 1-3 innings.

“I like how I was mixing in my pitches well, but unfortunately we didn’t come out with a win,” Chen said. “I’m kinda bummed out that I lost the game because we’re on a roll and playing really good, and I wanted to keep it going.”

Chen gave up two singles to Pierzynski, who homered in the seventh and eighth innings off relievers Louis Coleman and Jesse Chavez.

“Bruce pitched OK,” Yost said. “He kept us in the game, contained the damage pretty good. Louie gave up the two back-to-back homers. Jesse was the freshest arm we had down there. I tried to squeak through the eighth with him and he got two quick outs then it was kind of boom, boom, boom from that point and it got away from us.”

The Royals, who stranded a dozen runners, trailed 4-3 going into the seventh.

“We had a lot of opportunities to pick up runs and we didn’t do it,” Yost said. “And those are runs that would have made a difference in this game.”

Paul Konerko and Pierzynski had back-to-back homers leading off the seventh against Coleman. It was Konerko’s 30th home run. Konerko, who also singled home Juan Pierre in the eighth for his 103rd RBI, has reached 30 home runs and 100 RBIs for the fifth time in his career.

The White Sox took a 4-0 lead in ending the Royals’ seven-game winning streak, Kansas City’s longest run since notching seven in a row Sept. 13-18, 2008.

Pierzynski’s three-run homer off Chavez in the eighth struck the right-field pole. It was Pierzynski’s fourth career multihomer game — the past two have been at Kauffman Stadium, his previous coming July 9, 2010.

“It’s one of those things that when I came into the season that I kind of felt like that’s my job, to drive in runs,” Konerko said.

Brent Morel’s double in the second scored Pierzynski and Dayan Viciedo, who had both singled.

In the fourth, Adam Dunn doubled home Alex Rios for his first extra-base hit against a left-hander, in his 89th at-bat this season. Dunn stopped at third on Viciedo’s single and scored on Gordon Beckham’s sacrifice fly.

The Royals scored a pair of runs in the fifth with Yamaico Navarro and Billy Butler getting the RBIs. Johnny Giavotella’s triple in the sixth scored Jeff Francoeur, cutting the White Sox lead to 4-3. Giavotella’s third hit in the ninth scored Eric Hosmer.

Hosmer, who had also three hits, had an RBI single in the seventh.

Left-hander John Danks (7-12), who was 0-3 with a 10.91 ERA in his previous three starts allowed 10 hits and four runs in six-plus innings.

Bruce Chen (11-8) took the loss and is 1-3 in four September starts. He allowed four runs on nine hits and two walks in 5 1-3 innings.

NOTES: Beckham, who leads AL second baseman with a .992 fielding percentage, was charged with his second error in 49 games when he mishandled Francoeur’s bouncer in the sixth. … Navarro made his first start at shortstop For Royals. He had started five games at third base. … Pierre leads the AL with 43 infield hits and 19 bunt hits. … The Royals and White Sox are both off Monday. The White Sox play a doubleheader Tuesday at Cleveland and will start Gavin Floyd and Dylan Axelrod. … RHP Luis Mendoza, who was the Pacific Coast League pitcher of the year after going 12-5 with a 2.18 ERA for Triple-A Omaha, will start Tuesday against Detroit, the AL Central champions. It will be Mendoza’s first big league start since Aug. 13, 2008, while with Texas.

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