Royals get edged out by the White Sox for a pair of one-run losses
A day after it seemed like Mother Nature had a personal vendetta against the Royals and Chicago White Sox, the teams squeezed in a game and a half despite a forecast that was daunting at times. Unfortunately for the Royals, they came out the losing side of a pair of one-run contests.
The weather was nowhere near as daunting as White Sox starting pitcher Lucas Giolito on Tuesday night. After giving up a first-inning home run to Alex Gordon, Giolito matched a career high with 10 strikeouts to lead the White Sox to a 4-3 win the regularly scheduled game at Guaranteed Rate Field.
The loss assured the Royals (18-36) will go 13 consecutive series without a win. They’ll try to avoid a series sweep with a win on Wednesday night. Glenn Sparkman will start Wednesday’s game.
Giolito (7-1) allowed three runs on three hits and one walk in eight innings. He won for the second time this season against the Royals. He took a no-hitter into the seventh inning against the Royals at Kauffman Stadium on March 31.
After the first inning, the Royals didn’t get a hit against Giolito until the eighth.
“He found his command, and I think his confidence came back a little bit and his (velocity) is up,” Royals outfielder Whit Merrifield said. “He’s throwing 97 and he’s not throwing his fastball a lot. He’s got a good four-pitch mix. He’s throwing a lot of pitches for strikes.”
Merrifield (1-for-3, run) was the only Royals hitter to reach base twice against Giolito. Merrifield got hit by a pitch in the third inning.
Gordon’s ninth home run of the season, a deep drive to center field, gave the Royals a 3-0 advantage in the first inning. Merrifield (single) and Adalberto Mondesi (walk) were along for the ride as three of the first four batters of the game reached base.
“Giolito has been so tough on us,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “We ended up flying out the first hitter and then base hit, then the walk, then the Gordon home run. You’re like, OK, maybe this is the night his command is going to be off, we’re going to capitalize on it. We didn’t get another hit until the eighth inning.”
Royals starting pitcher Brad Keller (3-6) gave up three runs in the third inning, which started off with back-to-back-to-back singles, the last of which drove in the inning’s first run. Sacrifice flies by Jose Abreu and Yonder Alonso drove in the next two runs.
The White Sox (25-29) took a 4-3 lead in the fourth on a two-out Charlie Tilson RBI single to center field.
The White Sox threatened to tack on in the sixth with runners on second and third and not outs, but Keller got back-to-back ground balls to third base with the infield drawn in and then got out of the inning with an inning-ending fly ball from Leury Garcia.
Keller finished the night having allowed four runs on 10 hits and one walk. After he made that crucial escape in the sixth to keep the game within a run, Brad Boxberger and Wily Peralta pitched a scoreless inning of relief apiece.
Royals catcher Cam Gallagher started the eighth inning with a single to give the club a leadoff runner on for first time all night. Pinch runner Terrance Gore slipped while attempting to steal second base and was thrown out easily.
Billy Hamilton then grounded out and Nicky Lopez struck out. Lopez, a native of Naperville, Ill., has gone 0-for-7 in the series and hitless in his last 16 at-bats.
In the completion of the suspended game, Yolmer Sanchez’s walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the ninth handed the Royals a 2-1 loss on Tuesday and wrapped up the suspended game that included 3 hours, 4 minutes worth of rain delays.
Comeback trail: Royals first baseman Lucas Duda, who has been on the injured list since April 26 with a lumbar strain, began a minor-league rehab assignment with Triple A Omaha on Tuesday night. He served as designated hitter and went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a walk through his first four plate appearances.
This story was originally published May 28, 2019 at 9:23 PM.
