With Alcides Escobar again leading off, Royals beat White Sox 5-3 in 10 innings

The two events — the whistling of an Eric Hosmer home run through the Windy City night and the cementing of Alcides Escobar as Kansas City’s leadoff hitter — do not appear connected, but in the universe of the Royals, they are interwoven.

When Hosmer scorched a two-run, go-ahead blast off White Sox closer David Robertson on Wednesday night in Chicago, he did more than put Kansas City ahead in a 5-3, 10-inning victory and keep the possibility of postseason home-field advantage alive. He assured, barring a change of heart from manager Ned Yost, that Escobar will bat first for the Royals in the American League Division Series.

“It’s really hard to explain it,” Yost said after the game inside his office at U.S. Cellular Field. “Sometimes there’s just a chemistry in the lineup that can’t be quantified by numbers.”

After experimenting, at least theoretically, for three weeks with the statistically optimal lineup, the Royals appear prepared to return to October with the same leadoff man they utilized on their way to last season’s World Series. Escobar swings too often and reaches base too rarely to be considered an ideal table-setter, but Kansas City views him as something of a talisman for their offense.

The approach flies in the face of the data, which suggests a more patient, productive hitters such as Ben Zobrist or Alex Gordon belong in that spot. But the team cratered when Yost used either Zobrist or Gordon atop the order. So he will revert to the approach that helped them run away with the American League Central this summer.

At this point, the Royals are aching for the playoffs to begin. Wednesday night’s victory clinched home-field advantage for at least the ALDS. Hosmer rocketed a Robertson fastball into the Kansas City bullpen, besting one of the finest closers in baseball. After the game, he conducted his postgame interview as if he were in danger of falling asleep.

“It was a big hit, a big win for us,” Hosmer said. “Hopefully, it can bring some momentum for us, to start playing a little better.”

The most lasting effect is not the victory, though that doesn’t hurt. The Royals (91-67) effectively trail the Toronto Blue Jays (92-66) by two games for best record in the American League with four games to play, as the Blue Jays hold the tiebreaker over the Royals.

But the most critical decision made Wednesday occurred before the game. Escobar did little to aid the offense. He made three outs, reached on a pair of Chicago errors and failed to run to first base after a strikeout in his last at-bat. But — and this point is critical to the Royals and Yost — the team won. Gordon hit his first home run in two weeks. Mike Moustakas delivered a two-run shot in the sixth.

Starting pitcher Edinson Volquez limited the White Sox to one run in six innings. He gave up nine hits, but only three after the first two innings.

“I thought I was only going to go four or five innings,” Volquez said.

The bullpen frittered away his victory. Luke Hochevar gave up a solo homer to Chicago slugger Jose Abreu in the seventh. With his defenders struggling behind him, Kelvin Herrera let the White Sox tie the game in the eighth. After Moustakas could not corral a grounder by fellow third baseman Mike Olt, pinch-runner Tyler Saladino stole second and reached third on a throwing error by catcher Salvador Perez.

To the plate came Chicago catcher Tyler Flowers, who already had collected three hits on the night. He unleashed a drive toward right field. Drifting toward the wall was Paulo Orlando, who had just replaced Alex Rios as a theoretical defensive upgrade. Orlando ran a banana-shaped route to the warning track, where Flowers’ wind-aided ball landed behind him and bounced into the Kansas City bullpen for a game-tying double.

“It’s a tough play when the wind’s blowing like that,” Yost said. “It’s blowing from left to right. Balls are really drifting a lot.”

On the afternoon of Sept. 7, Yost called Escobar into his office and informed Escobar he was no longer the leadoff hitter. The production of Escobar merited a demotion. At that moment, he carried a .299 on-base percentage, with a mere .502 on-base plus slugging percentage since the All-Star break.

The Royals lost that night. They lost two nights later. The losing never ceased as the month continued, with an 8-13 record since Sept. 7 heading into Wednesday. On Sunday, Yost gave Ben Zobrist the day off and let Escobar lead off. The Royals won. Yost noticed.

The team’s greatest difficulty in September involved the pitching staff. But Yost noted the recent slumps of Zobrist and Gordon. Zobrist entered Wednesday hitting .240 for the month, while Gordon was hitting .244.

“It’s a mystery,” Yost said, adding, “There’s just a chemistry of a lineup that numbers can’t define. And this just must be one of those things.”

So he abandoned science in favor of faith. After conversations with the front office and his coaching staff, Yost returned Escobar to the No. 1 hole. Gordon fell to eighth in the lineup. It was his first time batting there since Sept. 8, 2010.

The new arrangement paid dividends in Gordon’s first at-bat. He came to the plate with his team down a run. Volquez gave up six singles in the first two innings, but controlled the damage to just an RBI single in the second.

Gordon worked the count full against White Sox southpaw Jose Quintana. He clobbered a 92-mph fastball for his 13th home run of the season and his second since returning from the disabled list in September.

A two-out walk by Kendrys Morales opened the door for Moustakas in the sixth. He bashed a curveball over the right-field fence to give Kansas City the lead.

Four innings later, after a collapse and a rocket by Hosmer, the Royals surged back ahead. And they solidified Escobar as their leadoff man.

Royals 5, White Sox 3, 10 innings

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1-ran for Olt in the 8th. 2-ran for Flowers in the 8th.

E: S.Perez (4), Al.Ramirez (16), Olt (6). LOB: Kansas City 6, Chicago 11. 2B: Flowers (12). HR: A.Gordon (13), off Quintana; Moustakas (22), off Quintana; Hosmer (18), off Dav.Robertson; Abreu (30), off Hochevar. RBIs: Hosmer 2 (91), Moustakas 2 (79), A.Gordon (46), Eaton (54), Abreu (99), Flowers (39). SB: Saladino (8).

Runners left in scoring position: Kansas City 2 (Zobrist, L.Cain); Chicago 5 (Av.Garcia 3, Me.Cabrera, Abreu). RISP: Kansas City 0 for 2; Chicago 3 for 9. GIDP: Al.Ramirez. DP: Kansas City 1 (F.Morales, Zobrist, Hosmer).

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Blown saves: K.Herrera (7). Holds: Hochevar (6). WP: K.Herrera. PB: Flowers.

Umpires: Home, Angel Hernandez; First, Chris Conroy; Second, Ted Barrett; Third, Adam Hamari. Time: 3:13. Att: 12,818.

AP-WF-10-01-15 0328GMT

This story was originally published September 30, 2015 at 10:42 PM with the headline "With Alcides Escobar again leading off, Royals beat White Sox 5-3 in 10 innings."