Ian Kennedy, who held the White Sox to one hit over six innings Sunday to beat Sale in a 2-0 win, threw 74 pitches in the first three innings, but made it through six, allowing two runs, five hits, three walks and a sacrifice fly.
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The Kansas City Royals drifted out of the American League wild card race with five straight losses but have apparently not given up on the season and can clinch a series win in the finale of a four-game series against the visiting Chicago White Sox on Monday.
“I didn’t even know I had 999 hits”, Morales said through coach Pedro Grifol as his translator.
Morales was hitting.191 on June 5, but in his past 20 games he is hitting.359 with a.705 slugging percentage, bringing his season total to.261 with 38 home runs and 85 RBIs. “That’s like the first time I’ve ever seen him do that in a year and that’s unbelievable, to be honest with you”.
Duffy (12-2) was the beneficiary of the Royals’ offensive splurge.
Sanchez had struck out in his first three at-bats before hitting a pitch from Kelvin Herrera out to right with J.D. Shuck and Avisail Garcia aboard. It’s not something, I worked real hard at, it just kind of came because I had great players and great general managers in Doug Melvin (Milwaukee) and Dayton Moore (Kansas City). “That’s probably why I don’t try to nibble with it”. Kendrys Morales singled home Merrifield. Dozier himself scored to make it 3-1 after Eric Hosmer poked a single through the middle of the infield.
His afternoon started with three of the first four Royals reaching, but he allowed just one run because Alex Avila cut down Whit Merrifield on a stolen-base attempt.
Alex Gordon ended an 0-for-21 drought with his 16th home run, which splashed into the upper right-field fountain.
The Royals pounded Quintana for 10 hits and six runs on the way to a 10-3 victory, their second straight win against the Sox and seventh in nine meetings at Kauffman Stadium this year.
Vargas started off shaky, allowing a hit to the second batter he faced, and the second hit a couple of batters later.
“We had opportunities”, White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. He just wasn’t locating the way he usually does.
“It was a bad day for me. But, you know, we just got into a couple of tough counts and they capitalized on it”.
Yost picked up his 1,000th career victory as a manager.
The Royals added two more runs in the inning, which included an unusual double-barrel 4-minute, 25-second delay with both teams asking the umpires to review the same play. Ned Yost of the Royals claimed shortstop Tim Anderson did not touch second base before throwing to first on Hosmer’s grounder. After the review, the call on the field was overturned with Orlando ruled safe and the slide was legal.
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“It would be real nice”, Frazier said about getting to 40. “Again, that stuff is written in a way that it could go either way”. It’s a lot of pressure to place on the last two weeks of what has otherwise been a fairly mediocre season for the White Sox, but if Friday’s gem was any indication, Sale should be up to the challenge.
