Alex Gordon stays on hot streak as Royals thump White Sox 9-3
The pitch was a mistake, a curveball from a pitcher who likely won’t break camp with the White Sox.
Royals left fielder Alex Gordon clubbed the 0-2 offering to a happy group of fans sitting on the grass berm beyond the right-center field fence in the first inning of the Royals’ 9-3 win Monday over the White Sox.
Yeah, it’s spring training. And, sure, the pitcher was Chicago’s Jacob Turner.
But Gordon has been on a tear. Heck, his liner to left in the second inning was an out but required a diving catch from Melky Cabrera. Gordon walked in his other plate appearance.
In his last four games, Gordon is 8 for 12 with three homers, raising his spring average to .409.
“It was good to see Gordy hit another home run,” manager Ned Yost said. “He’s right on track.”
Gordon wasn’t the only outfielder to hit a homer Monday.
Lorenzo Cain blasted a two-run shot to left field in the third inning that made it 4-1.
Royals starter Yordano Ventura opened the game by striking out the side. Gordon’s homer was followed later in the first by a Paulo Orlando RBI single that scored Cain.
Chicago got a run in the second when Todd Frazier laced a double to right and advanced on consecutive fly balls to right. Ventura got into a jam in the fourth as the White Sox loaded the bases on two singles and a walk. But Courtney Hawkins struck out looking and Hector Sanchez grounded out weakly to second.
Ventura struck out six and allowed one run in four innings, throwing 46 of his 62 pitches for strikes.
The bullpen allowed just two runs after that.
“Everybody really threw the ball OK,” Yost said. “Jack (Joakim Soria) threw the ball well, everyone threw the ball good.”
Travis Snider, in the mix to be a reserve outfielder, belted a three-run home run against the White Sox’s Daniel Webb. It was part of a five-run seventh inning as the Royals broke the game open.
The regulars
Cain also singled and grounded out sharply to third base. Salvador Perez doubled in three plate appearances, and Kendrys Morales had a single in three at-bats.
The arms
Soria was sensational in his one inning, striking out the side on 15 pitches in the fifth. Chien-Ming Wang worked around a one-out double to José Abreu in the sixth inning, striking out one in his scoreless inning. John Lannan struck out a pair in the seventh, but also served up a long home run to Jason Coats.
Position battles
Christian Colon, who played second base Monday, is still zero for the spring. He dropped to 0 for 22, with three walks. Colon nearly had his first hit of the spring, but Jacob May made a diving catch on a sinking liner in the fourth inning. With two out on in the first inning, Colon grounded into a force play. He also grounded out in the sixth. Second baseman Omar Infante, the designated hitter Monday, hit a two-run double in the seventh and walked. Outfielder Terrance Gore struck out twice. Cody Decker, playing first, made a good scoop of a low throw from Raul Mondesi in the seventh. Outfielder Reymond Fuentes was hit by a pitch and walked.
Up next
The Royals play the Reds at 3:05 p.m. Tuesday in Goodyear, Ariz. Ian Kennedy is expected to start, while former Royal Brandon Finnegan is the scheduled starter for Cincinnati.
Pete Grathoff: 816-234-4330, @pgrathoff
Royals 9, White Sox 3
TableStyle: SP-basebattersCCI Template: SP-basebatters
Chicago AB | R | H | BI | BB | SO | Avg. | |
J.Rollins ss | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .350 |
T.Anderson ss | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .167 |
Lawrie 2b | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .263 |
Ishikawa 1b | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .333 |
Abreu 1b | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .440 |
C.Sanchez pr-2b | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .333 |
Frazier 3b | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .333 |
Saladino 3b | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .188 |
Me.Cabrera lf | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .150 |
A.Engel lf | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 |
C.Hawkins dh | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .071 |
Olt ph-dh | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .182 |
H.Sanchez c | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .182 |
K.Smith c | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .429 |
J.Coats rf | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | .182 |
Sands rf | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .150 |
J.May cf | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .238 |
Totals 44 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 15 |
TableStyle: SP-basebattersCCI Template: SP-basebatters
Kansas City AB | R | H | BI | BB | SO | Avg. | |
A.Gordon lf | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .409 |
Gore pr-lf | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .125 |
Moustakas 3b | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .450 |
D.Coleman 3b | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .167 |
L.Cain cf | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .316 |
Fuentes cf | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .389 |
K.Morales 1b | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .240 |
C.Decker 1b | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .214 |
S.Perez c | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .160 |
P.Morin c | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .167 |
Orlando rf | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .292 |
Snider rf | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | .222 |
C.Colon 2b | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
W.Merrifield 2b | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .462 |
Barmes ss | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .294 |
Mondesi pr-ss | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .313 |
Infante dh | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | .214 |
Totals 35 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 6 | 10 |
TableStyle: SP-basebyinningsCCI Template: SP-basebyinnings
Chicago | 010 | 000 | 101 | — | 3 | 6 | 0 |
Kansas City | 202 | 000 | 50x | — | 9 | 11 | 0 |
DP: Kansas City 1. LOB: Chicago 5, Kansas City 8. 2B: Abreu (2), Frazier (3), S.Perez (1), Barmes (3), Infante (2). HR: J.Coats (2), A.Gordon (3), L.Cain (1), Snider (1). SF: C.Hawkins.
TableStyle: SP-basepitchersCCI Template: SP-basepitchers
Chicago | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
Ja.Turner L,0-2 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 10.57 |
C.Fulmer | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6.75 |
B.Brennan | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.00 |
Z.Phillips | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3.60 |
D.Webb | 2/3 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 10.80 |
J.Guerrero | 1/3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 36.00 |
Purke | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0.00 |
TableStyle: SP-basepitchersCCI Template: SP-basepitchers
Kansas City | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
Ventura W,1-0 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 4.00 |
Soria | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0.00 |
Wang | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1.50 |
Lannan | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2.25 |
Alexander | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.00 |
M.Strahm | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1.59 |
WP: Y, Ventura. Umpires: Home, Gabe Morales; First, Ryan Goodman; Second, Lance Barrett; Third, Ryan Blakney. T: 2:50. A: 8,243 (10,714).
This story was originally published March 14, 2016 at 6:11 PM with the headline "Alex Gordon stays on hot streak as Royals thump White Sox 9-3."