Witt homers, but Kansas City Royals drop series-deciding game to White Sox in Chicago
The Kansas City Royals received a soggy sendoff from the AL Central Division rival Chicago White Sox, as they concluded their seven-game road trip on Wednesday with a game that featured a rain delay of one hour, five minutes.
Royals starting pitcher Brady Singer gave up three of the four runs he allowed on one pitch in the third inning as the Royals dropped the finale of their three-game series, 4-1, to the White Sox in front of an announced 19,753 at Guaranteed Rate Field.
Offensively, the Royals were held to just four hits. White Sox starter Lance Lynn held them to one run, and he struck out eight in six innings.
The White Sox (53-51) won the series and the Royals finished the seven-game road trip 2-5.
The Royals (41-64) got their lone run courtesy of a solo homer by rookie Bobby Witt Jr. (2 for 4) in the sixth inning.
“He has a couple fastballs he throws, locating it in and out, up and down, everywhere,” Witt said of Lynn. “I think that’s really it, we were just kind of missing some pitches.”
Second baseman Michael Massey, promoted from Triple-A before the game, went 2 for 3 for the Royals.
Witt and Massey combined for all four of the Royals’ hits. Massey entered the day with just eight at-bats in the majors, all having come last month in Toronto.
“I was just trying to do what I do best, get a ball in the zone and try to put a good swing on it,” Massey said. “Honestly, I tried to keep it simple. I really didn’t have much more than that, other than just get a pitch in the zone and try to hit it hard. Try to feel my legs in the box a little bit.”
Witt, who has played 65 of his 95 games this season at shortstop, started at third base for the first time since May 24.
Witt missed five games with hamstring tightness last week, and then he initially served as the designated hitter when he did return to the lineup.
Witt committed an error at shortstop on Tuesday night, but said he’d “learn from that” and keep working.
As far as moving back to third base, Witt said. “I’m just glad to be in the lineup. Just wherever I’m thrown out there, I’ve just got to be ready, be prepared to do my job and just compete.”
Singer handles the rain
Singer allowed four runs on 11 hits over six innings. He struck out three, walked one and gave up one pivotal three-run home run to White Sox slugger Jose Abreu in the third inning.
The rain delay came in the middle of an Adam Engel at-bat with Singer on the mound in the second inning with the White Sox leading 1-0.
Singer stayed loose by playing catch in the tunnel behind the visiting clubhouse until the rain subsided enough for him to play catch in the bullpen.
Singer and pitching coach Cal Eldred decided to treat the rain delay as though each time Singer played catch it was an inning. Then he’d take a break similarly to how things would go with his team batting during a game. Singer would then play catch for another “inning” and then take another break.
“We came in here, kind of relaxed for a second and figured out what we needed to do,” Singer said. “Then we went back there and played catch. There’s no mound back there, but do the best I could do back there.”
Whether or not Singer continued after the delay hinged largely on how he felt physically through the delay.
Singer came out of the delay and threw two pitches to strike out Engel to end the inning.
In the third, the White Sox got singled from Tim Anderson and Eloy Jimenez. Then Abreu got a hold of an outside fastball for the three-run blast.
“That pitch to Abreu, it was out,” Singer said. “It was where we wanted it. It was just a little up. He’s so hot right now.”
After giving up three consecutive singles to start the fifth inning, Singer struck out Yoan Moncada with the bases loaded and then got an inning-ending double play turned by shortstop Nicky Lopez and second baseman Michael Massey to end the inning.
Despite not feeling “sharp” and having to wait out the rain delay, Singer (4-4) made his way through six innings and stranded six men on base.
“Brady and Cal both did a really good job of keeping him kind of warm and not overdoing it,” Royals manager Mike Matheny said. “ … Just being able to go back out and he felt strong. Getting him through a mess in the fifth right there.
“It’s amazing how quick it snuck up on us in the third. We had the jam-shot single after another single, then the one fastball that just really got up too much to the wrong guy in Abreu. He made us pay. Besides that — it just looked way better than what the line (showed), in my mind.”
This story was originally published August 3, 2022 at 4:58 PM.
