Friday's Royals-White Sox game suspended in 9th because of rain

Boring. They did not mind boring, not after a week marred by arguments and altercations. The Royals sought normalcy on Friday evening at U.S. Cellular Field, and their game with the White Sox delivered.

The two clubs dueled for eight nondescript innings, and the game was suspended without a resolution. The game was called following more than an hour of heavy rain. The umpires agreed to resume the 2-2 tie at 1:10 Saturday afternoon.  But then Saturday’s game was postponed because of rain, so Friday's suspended game was to be completed before Sunday's game.

Royals starter Danny Duffy gave up one run but only lasted 5 1/3 innings. Reliever Franklin Morales coughed up a one-run lead in the seventh, after it appeared the umpires might call for the tarp after the sixth.

The Royals struck first. Paulo Orlando bounced a fastball down the first-base line to open the third inning. White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu couldn’t glove the ball, and Orlando raced to second base. It was the first double of his career. He scored on Alcides Escobar’s single.

Duffy defused an opportunity for the White Sox in the bottom of the frame. Micah Johnson dropped a bunt single, and Adam Eaton ripped another. Melky Cabrera bunted the two runners over for Abreu.

Duffy spotted a 95-mph fastball on the outside corner. Abreu bounced the pitch back to the mound. Duffy fed catcher Salvador Perez, who ran down Johnson along the third-base line.

Five pitches later, Duffy fooled Avisail Garcia with a curveball for second strikeout of the evening.

He was less fortunate in the fourth. Alcides Escobar fielded a groundball and uncorked a throw that drew Eric Hosmer off first base. The ball clipped off Hosmer’s glove. The runner, Alexei Ramirez, landed at second. He scored three batters later on a ground-out by catcher Tyler Flowers.

Orlando came through again in the fifth. He ripped a single to bring Alex Gordon home from third base to put Kansas City back in front.

This story was originally published April 24, 2015 at 11:02 PM with the headline "Friday's Royals-White Sox game suspended in 9th because of rain."