Daniel Lynch turns in dazzling performance as Kansas City Royals shut out White Sox
The Kansas City Royals started the second leg of their two-city road trip with a decisive victory over AL Central Division rivals and defending division champions, the Chicago White Sox, behind the stellar pitching of rookie left-hander Daniel Lynch on Tuesday night.
Lynch tossed six scoreless innings in a sparkling performance on a cold night — 50 degrees at first pitch — that included matching a career high with seven strikeouts in a 6-0 win over the White Sox in front of an announced 12,031 at Guaranteed Rate Field.
The win stopped the Royals losing slide at four games.
“That was, first of all, really good to be able to get a win and get back on track,” Lynch said. “I felt like I commanded the ball really well. I did what I wanted to, followed the scouting report, followed what (catcher) Salvy (Perez) did, and just kind of let them play defense and just tried to execute pitches the best I could.”
It was the first game of a three-game series. The teams will resume their series on Wednesday afternoon. The scheduled start time was changed from an evening start to the afternoon due to weather.
Andrew Benintendi (2 for 5, RBI, run scored) and Bobby Witt Jr. (2 for 5, double, RBI, run) had multi-hit games for the Royals on Tuesday. Carlos Santana (1 for 2) drove in two runs, and Nicky Lopez walked twice.
The Royals drew a season-high 11 walks in the game.
Royals shortstop Adalberto Mondesi had a bunt single, but he left the game during the Royals four-run sixth inning with what the club called knee discomfort.
Lynch (2-1) threw 24 first-inning pitches due largely to protracted at-bats by White Sox sluggers Jose Abreu and Yasmani Grandal.
Abreu fouled off eight pitches as part of a 12-pitch at-bat that ended with a bloop single to right field. Grandal followed him with a seven-pitch appearance, including two foul balls with two strikes to keep the at-bat alive, before Lynch got him swinging at a slider to end the inning.
Despite the long first inning and seven strikeouts, Lynch made it through six innings on 98 pitches (66 strikes).
“Incredible,” Royals manager Mike Matheny said of Lynch’s outing. “Such a display of poise and toughness too. Some long innings in all the elements. Both teams had to deal with that, but he stuck with his game plan, kept making pitches and almost willed that during some of those long breaks, ‘I’m going to figure out how to get this done.’ We talk a lot about his maturity. It’s just amazing from a year ago, where he is right now.”
Lynch allowed just two hits and two walks in six innings. He’s now gone 12 consecutive innings without allowing a run.
Royals offense comes up big
White Sox starting pitcher Dallas Keuchel got roughed up in his previous outing. He gave up seven earned runs on 10 hits and one walk in one inning of work against Cleveland on April 20. The left-hander had no such misfortune against the Royals through the first three innings.
The Royals’ offense, though, proved opportunistic in the fourth after an error and a walk put the first two batters — Perez and Santana, aboard. After Hunter Dozier’s groundout moved the runners to second and third, Witt Jr.’s slow roller to third base went for an infield single, the Royals’ first hit of the game, and drove in Perez for the game’s first run.
Then with runners on the corners and one out, Mondesi’s grounder to first base allowed Santana to score the second run of the inning as the Royals converted each of those first two baserunners into runs and a 2-0 lead.
“It’s huge,” Benintendi said of breaking the ice with those two runs. “If we don’t get any in there, the momentum shifts in their direction. Who knows what happens after that? Good job by everybody today. It was cold but fun.”
The Royals had struggled offensively this season to convert scoring chances with runners in scoring position. They began the day having gone 19 for 99 (.192) with runners in scoring position this season.
The Royals had the chance to make it an even bigger inning when they loaded the bases on walks by Michael A. Taylor and Lopez, but Keuchel got Whit Merrifield to strike out swinging on a full count that ended the inning.
Keuchel gave up a leadoff single to Benintendi to start the fifth inning, and then White Sox manager Tony La Russa turned to the bullpen. Keuchel finished his outing having allowed two unearned runs on two hits and five walks in four innings.
“It’s not every day you’re going to be able to go up there and light it up with the bat,” Benintendi said. “In a game like this, you take your walk and you make them work. … If you can be patient and take advantage of that, usually it goes your way.”
The Royals, already in the driver’s seat, broke open the game with a four-run sixth inning that started with a Witt double. Witt smacked a 2-2 slider from relief pitcher Reynaldo Lopez to left-center field.
Witt, the organization’s top prospect and former No. 2 overall draft pick, entered the day batting .185. However, he went 6 for 18 in his last four games with two multi-hit games in that span. He also has a five-game hitting streak.
“I feel like I’m just getting comfortable as a whole,” Witt said. “I just want to be on time with whatever. Be on time with the heater, then I can be on time with it all. I just want to continue going up there, have the same approach and just see ball, hit ball.”
Royals pitchers Taylor Clarke (one inning) and Brady Singer (two innings) came on in relief of Lynch and completed the shutout.
Wednesday’s pitching matchup features Royals right-hander Zack Greinke (0-1, 2.25 ERA) against White Sox right-hander Dylan Cease (2-1, 3.38).
This story was originally published April 26, 2022 at 9:45 PM.
