KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Now that the Chicago White Sox have dispatched of the last-place Kansas City Royals, the AL Central leaders can turn their attention to a showdown with the second place Minnesota Twins.

John Danks and two relievers combined on a four-hitter and Paul Konerko hit a two-run homer as the AL Central-leading White Sox beat the Royals 3-0 on Sunday. The White Sox have won 12 of 18 against the Royals this season.

The victory enabled the White Sox to remain 2 1/2 games in front of the Twins, who won 4-1 at Tampa Bay. The White Sox open a three-game series Tuesday at Minnesota that will likely determine the American League Central crown.

“It’s a big series,” Konerko said. “Obviously, it’s the team that chasing you. There are six games left to go in the season. It’s pretty simple at this point. You don’t need to speculate about a lot. It is head to head. If we have a bad series, I don’t think it is the end of anything. But if we have a good one, that should do it I would think. So that’s our goal.”

The White Sox have been in first place for 144 days, including all but nine since May 17.

“It is like you’re fighting for 12 rounds and you know you’re winning, but a lucky punch gets you last round and you’re done and you lose the title,” White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said of the Twins seasons. “That’s that way I feel right now.

“The only thing we have left and the only thing that can complement that is to win (the division). If not, it will be a tough summer with a bad ending. It can be a tough summer with a lot of happiness with smiling faces and proud. The only way we can do that is win. This was a huge game today. Now we’re going into Minnesota up 2 1/2, so we have a little cushion.”

Danks, who was 0-3 with two no-decisions in his previous five starts, held the Royals to four hits and allowed only one runner past second base.

Danks (11-8), who retired 11 in a row during one stretch, left after seven-plus innings, walking one and striking out three, picking up his first victory since Aug. 16.

“We are where we are for a reason,” Danks said. “We know it’s a big series and we know there is a lot at stake. We want to have as much leeway as we can. I noticed the Twins won today, so I knew we had to win to stay where we were.”

Danks walked David DeJesus and gave up and a two-out single to Ryan Shealy in the first, but struck out Mark Teahen to end the threat. In the second, he hit John Buck with a pitch. He advanced to second on a wild pitch, but was stranded there. Alex Gordon doubled with one out in the seventh and advanced to third on a ground out, but failed to score.

Danks, who was 6-13 with a 5.50 ERA last season, has not allowed a run and only eight hits in 13 innings in his past two starts.

“The confidence factor and comfortable level is night and day,” Danks said between 2007 and 2008. “The stuff feels the same, but just the way I feel on the mound is night and day.”