Creeping closer to 100 losses: Kansas City Royals fall 6-4 to Chicago White Sox
The Kansas City Royals found themselves in another close game against the Chicago White Sox.
After struggling to generate offense early, the Royals relied on a pair of homers Wednesday evening, a couple of two-run shots by Nelson Velázquez and Edward Olivares.
But there would be no walk-off moments on this night. The White Sox held on to win 6-4 at Kauffman Stadium.
KC recorded four hits in the game. White Sox starter Touki Toussaint allowed two runs and had struck out six across six innings.
“We didn’t string much together,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “We had guys on base and double plays. There was enough unique movement on his pitches and the splitter that he kept us off the barrel.”
Chicago scored three runs in the sixth. Designated hitter Andrew Vaughn and third baseman Yoan Moncada hit back-to-back homers. Vaughn finished 3 for 4 with two RBIs.
The Royals nearly erased the deficit in the eight inning. Olivares hit his second career pinch-hit homer, and first in that role since Aug. 7, 2020, when he was with the San Diego Padres.
“That’s a huge swing and at-bat right there to get us back in the game,” Quatraro said. “He is showing power now that he didn’t show much earlier in the year. He went down to Triple-A, handled it extremely well and put up big numbers in the few weeks he was there. He came back here ready to go.”
The White Sox added a late insurance run and KC would draw no closer. Chicago reliever Bryan Shaw pitched the ninth and earned his second save.
The Royals fell to 44-97 and will embark on a six-game road trip this weekend.
Missed previous games of the series?
Game 1: Cole Ragans dominates in Royals 12-1 rout over White Sox
Game 2: Royals pull out comeback victory behind second balk-off this season
Here are more notables from Wednesday’s game:
Nelson Velázquez homers in third consecutive game
The Royals were limited to three hits against the White Sox. It was a far cry from the 12 runs they scored Monday night.
Velázquez played a big role in Monday’s victory. He continued his hot streak with his 12th home run in the series finale.
“He’s got huge power to all fields,” Quatraro said. “We seen it as this is a big ballpark and one of the biggest in the league. He has hit balls to all fields here already in the number of at-bats he had.”
It was his third in as many games. Velázquez drilled a 92.6 mph fastball over the center-field wall. The blast traveled 439 feet and registered a 107.3 mph exit velocity.
Velázquez has 26 hits this season. His 12 home runs have accounted for 46% of those hits. He has homered on three consecutive days for the first time in his MLB career.
“Getting consistent at-bats and playing a little bit more here helped me to improve and take my approach and consistency in the game to another level, besides just playing every two or three days,” Velázquez said. “It has helped me a lot.”
Jordan Lyles surrenders three runs in start
Lyles avoided a disastrous big inning against the White Sox. He allowed three runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings.
The White Sox did their damage in the sixth inning. Lyles surrendered a 2-1 lead after a lengthy at-bat against Vaughn. Lyles threw a changeup that Vaughn turned around for a two-run homer.
“I went with a changeup in and just didn’t get it exactly where I wanted to,” Lyles said. “I left it too much on the plate and he put a good swing on it.”
It was one of a few mistakes for Lyles. In the fourth inning, he allowed an RBI double to White Sox first baseman Gavin Sheets. Lyles threw 91 pitches in all. He generated 13 called strikes and four whiffs.
“I thought we were efficient early on for the majority of the outing,” Lyles said. “In the sixth inning, it was two bad pitches that I wish I could get back to (Luis) Robert and Vaughn — the double and the homer. I scattered some hits out there.”
What’s next: The Royals are off Thursday before beginning a three-game road series against the Toronto Blue Jays this weekend.
This story was originally published September 6, 2023 at 9:26 PM.
