Royals come back after letting lead get away but lose in 13
By BOB DUTTON
The Kansas City Star
All this and, in the end, just another loss.
The Royals saw their chance for a stunning comeback slip away Tuesday night in an 8-7 loss to the Chicago White Sox in 13 innings at Kauffman Stadium. Pinch-hitter Mark Grudzielanek grounded into a game-ending double play with the bases loaded.
That concluded a remarkable roller-coaster ride for both clubs.
The Royals blew a two-run lead in the eighth, then fell into a two-run hole in the 11th when Chicago scored twice on a sacrifice fly. The Royals extended the game by scoring twice with two outs in their half of the 11th.
Doing so merely delayed the heartbreak.
“We were playing back and forth, a little bit of pingpong,” Royals infielder Mike Aviles said. “It was unfortunate we didn’t get the win tonight, but you’ve got to like the way we continued to fight back and not just fold over.
“It shows a lot about this team and where we’re headed.”
It also speaks to the White Sox’s continuing ability to find a way to do what is necessary. They pushed across the winning run when Alexei Ramirez scored from first base on Orlando Cabrera’s hit-and-run double against reliever Robinson Tejeda.
Ramirez began with the rally by legging out a one-out single to deep short. It was Ramirez’s career-high fourth hit. Cabrera followed with a line drive through the right-side spot vacated by Aviles when Ramirez broke for second.
The Royals loaded the bases in the 13th against Nick Masset. Esteban German led off with a single for his fourth hit. Aviles’ one-out single was also his fourth hit. Alex Gordon, who tied the game in the 11th with a two-out RBI double, worked a walk.
Manager Trey Hillman called on Grudzielanek to bat for Tony Peña, a .155 hitter. Grudzielanek was batting .313 but was also nursing a sore back. Still, he was the only remaining position player on the Royals’ bench.
Grudzielanek worked the count to 1-2 before hitting an easy bouncer up the middle. Cabrera made the routine grab, stepped on second and threw to first for the double play.
It was the second time this year that Chicago pinned an extra-inning loss on the Royals. The other time was June 4, when the Royals scored twice in the ninth before falling 6-4 in 15 innings.
The White Sox, 52-37, have won all four games between the two teams and now hold a 2 1/2 -game lead in the American League Central Division. The Royals fell to 40-51 and 13 games back.
“It was one,” Chicago first baseman Paul Konerko said, “where you had to go out and earn it.”
The White Sox earned it despite going one for 16 with runners in scoring position. The teams combined for 33 hits, including 17 by the Royals. They needed one more, though.
The Royals extended the game by scoring twice with two outs in the 11th inning against Scott Linebrink. Aviles lined an RBI single before Gordon yanked a game-tying double over the head of right fielder Jermaine Dye.
That wiped out Chicago’s strange two-run outburst, which began with one-out singles by Joe Crede and Alexei Ramirez against Horacio Ramirez.
The White Sox loaded the bases when German bobbled Cabrera’s slow grounder to second. German appeared distracted by Ramirez going to second. Horacio Ramirez jumped ahead of A.J. Pierzynski 0-2 before Pierzynski ripped a drive into the right-center gap. Center fielder Joey Gathright ran down the ball but tumbled to the ground after brushing with right fielder Mark Teahen and two runners scored.
The Royals built leads of 4-1 and 5-3 before the White Sox pulled even with a two-run eighth against Ramon Ramirez and Ron Mahay. The giveback snatched a victory away from Kyle Davies, who scrambled through 5 2/3 innings but still handed a 4-3 lead to Ramon Ramirez.
Chicago starter Jose Contreras escaped with a no-decision despite allowing five runs and 10 hits in 5 2/3 innings. Relievers Boone Logan, Octavio Dotel and Matt Thornton combined for 4 1/3 scoreless innings. Thornton was in position for a victory before the Royals rallied against Linebrink.
Royals All-Star closer Joakim Soria worked a one-two-three inning in the ninth. But he couldn’t go further after throwing 36 pitches Monday in a two-inning effort against Tampa Bay.
@ Go to
KansasCity.com for Bob Dutton’s vlog from Tuesday’s game, plus continuous updates on the Royals and major league baseball in Sam Mellinger’s “Ball Star” blog.
To reach Bob Dutton, send e-mail to bdutton@kcstar.com.
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