Royals come up short again in 4-2 loss to White Sox

The two baseballs were crushed, one in the seventh inning and one in the eighth, both probably destined to become game-tying hits until the gloves of the White Sox defenders intervened.

In the seventh inning of a 4-2 Royals loss, Ben Zobrist scorched a two-out drive into the gape between left field and center. Rookie left fielder Trayce Thompson sold out on a dive to catch the baseball and strand a runner.

An inning later, Mike Moustakas ripped a drive bound for left field, perhaps able to score Eric Hosmer from second base. Instead, fellow third baseman Mike Olt flashed his glove through the air and pulled the liner down. Moustakas took a few steps out of the box and stared at the spot.

“They made two plays that saved them the game,” manager Ned Yost said afterward. “Both of them would have been RBI, run-scoring hits. A double by Zobrist, and Moose, that might have been a double down the line. We might have scored two there.”

Instead, they scored zero, and the Royals lost, again. The lone offense from the Royals occurred in the sixth, when Eric Hosmer and Kendrys Morales hit back-to-back home runs. Otherwise, the Royals followed a silent, 11-inning night at Wrigley Field with another evening of quiet bats.

The deficit expanded to two runs in the bottom of the eighth when Joba Chamberlain gave up an RBI double to Alexei Ramirez. The Royals are now 10-17 in September — and fading into October.

“We showed some fight,” Hosmer said. “We really battled back. But just didn’t have any luck today.”

With the loss, the Royals effectively trail the Blue Jays by 2  1/2 games for the best record in the American League and home-field advantage throughout the postseason. Rain on Tuesday postponed Toronto’s game in Baltimore against the Orioles. Because Toronto won the season series against Kansas City, the Royals must finish a full game ahead of the Blue Jays to guarantee the road to the World Series runs through Kauffman Stadium.

“The playoffs, it’s a different animal,” Yost said. “I don’t read anything into not playing good in September going into the playoffs.”

Johnny Cueto turned in six innings of three-run baseball on Tuesday. He met the minimum qualifications for a quality start, his third in a row. The outing exemplified the lowered standard for Cueto. When the team acquired him in July, the Royals tabbed him as their ace. Now he looks more likely to start after Yordano Ventura in the American League Division Series next week.

The Royals listed Cueto as their starter for Sunday in Minnesota against the Twins. If Cueto pitches in that game, he would not be ready to pitch again on regular rest until game two of the ALDS. Yost declined to discuss the situation before the game.

“I told you I wasn’t talking about the rotation until the season is over,” Yost said.

Yost did express his confidence in Cueto working with catcher Salvador Perez. Tuesday marked their third start since Cueto confessed to the coaching staff his lack of comfort with Perez. Perez adjusted his positioning, lowering his mitt and setting up further behind the plate.

In the next two outings, Cueto spun 14 innings and gave up five runs. In his previous five games, he allowed 30 runs in 26  1/3 innings. Perez has now begun using this strategy with the rest of the staff. And Yost can sense a difference in Cueto’s body language on the mound, as he’s become more willing to challenge hitters with his fastball.

“I think he’s more comfortable,” Yost said. “Anything you’re more comfortable in your environment, you’re going to produce better. You’re going to executive better.”

After two scoreless innings, Cueto opened the door for a White Sox flurry in the third. He allowed a two-out walk to second baseman Carlos Sanchez, who came to the plate with a .226 batting average.

Up two strikes, Cueto missed with four balls in a row, including a 94-mph fastball at the knees with the count full, which umpire Adam Hamari did not see as a strike. Cueto promptly allowed a single to outfielder Adam Eaton and another to first baseman Jose Abreu. Sanchez scored on Abreu’s hit.

Two innings later, Sanchez victimized Cueto again. Sanchez roped a flat changeup up the middle for a single. Outfielder Adam Eaton smashed another changeup, also waist-high, into the Royals bullpen for a two-run homer soon after.

Otherwise, Cueto felt pleased with his outing.

“Personally, he feels better,” catching coach Pedro Grifol said, translating for Cueto. “He feels more confident. He also feels good with Sal back there.”

The offense of the Royals lay dormant for the first five innings. Facing Jeff Samardzija, their nemesis from opening day and beyond, the team netted four singles and zero runs until the sixth.

At that point, down three, the team experienced a power surge they had not felt since July 25, 2014, when Salvador Perez and Mike Moustakas hit back-to-back home runs. The Royals would not complete that feat again until Tuesday, when Hosmer and Morales traded shots.

Hosmer pounced on a two-out, first-pitch, 95-mph fastball. He drove it the other way over the left-field fence. Morales whipped his bat at a splitter that dove toward the outer edge of the strike zone. The baseball leaped off his bat and raced over the wall in left-center.

“He was a little out in front of it,” said Grifol, who also translated for Morales. “But he was able to get the fat part of the bat, and make good contact on it.”

The Royals would make good contact again later in the night, but they would come up empty each time.

“I’m seeing good at-bats, really,” Yost said. “We had opportunities to win the game, outside of two outstanding plays.”

White Sox 4, Royals 2

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a-struck out for Ge.Soto in the 8th.

LOB: Kansas City 7, Chicago 7. 2B: Al.Ramirez (32). HR: Hosmer (17), off Samardzija; K.Morales (22), off Samardzija; Eaton (14), off Cueto. RBIs: Hosmer (89), K.Morales (106), Eaton 2 (53), Abreu (98), Al.Ramirez (61).

Runners left in scoring position: Kansas City 2 (A.Escobar, Moustakas); Chicago 4 (Me.Cabrera 2, Ge.Soto, Olt). RISP: Kansas City 0 for 3; Chicago 1 for 9. Runners moved up: Rios. GIDP: Rios, Me.Cabrera, Av.Garcia. DP: Kansas City 2 (Zobrist, A.Escobar, Hosmer), (A.Escobar, Hosmer); Chicago 1 (Al.Ramirez, C.Sanchez, Abreu).

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Holds: M.Albers (5), Duke (26). Inherited runners-scored: Duke 1-0. WP: D.Duffy, Chamberlain.

Umpires: Home, Adam Hamari; First, Angel Hernandez; Second, Chris Conroy; Third, Ted Barrett. Time: 2:48. Att: 13,024.

AP-WF-09-30-15 0302GMT

This story was originally published September 29, 2015 at 10:08 PM with the headline "Royals come up short again in 4-2 loss to White Sox."