KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A little bunt by Alcides Escobar paid off big for the Kansas City Royals.
White Sox reliever Jeanmar Gomez threw away Escobar’s bunt in the 10th inning Monday night, giving the Royals a 4-3 win over Chicago.
Brian Goodwin led off the Kansas City 10th with a sharp double. Escobar followed with a sacrifice and Gomez (0-2) made a wild toss over third baseman Yolmer Sanchez, letting the speedy Goodwin score easily.
“Goodwin is a good runner, and he was safe anyway,” Escobar said. “If (Gomez) made a good throw, he was safe anyway.”
White Sox manager Rich Renteria wasn’t so sure Goodwin would have been safe with a good throw.
“It looked like he recognized the play was available to him and he just got a little flustered, probably a little excited and just didn’t make a very good throw,” he said.
Jake Newberry (2-0) pitched a perfect top of the 10th to notch the win.
Whit Merrifield homered on the first pitch from White Sox starter Lucas Giolito. Ryan O’Hearn hit a solo homer in the sixth that made it 3-all — he connected against Chicago in his big league debut on July 31, and now has 10 home runs in 30 games.
“I’m not thinking about numbers or anything like that,” O’Hearn said. “I just go out there every day and try to have quality at-bats. The home runs keep piling up. Hopefully, I’ll keep on going.”
Adam Engel and Daniel Palka each homered in the Chicago third against Jakob Junis.
“They were throwing me heaters the first AB and start of the second and I think they noticed me diving over the plate a little bit and missing,” Palka said of his drive just inside the foul pole. “I just kind of stayed back on the one I got. It was a pretty good pitch, just right where I was looking.”
Jose Abreu, activated from the disabled list prior to the game, had three hits for the White Sox. He was put on the DL on Aug. 22 following surgery for testicular torsion.
Junis went eight innings, allowing seven hits. He faced the minimum after giving up Palka’s homer, and has a 2.15 ERA in his last seven starts. He wasn’t fazed by the rough third inning.
“We didn’t really change our game plan,” Junis said. “We stayed aggressive, kept pounding the strike zone. We got some quick outs that way.”
Giolito pitched seven innings for his fifth quality start in his last six outings.
With a runner on second, Goodwin hit a slow dribbler up the third base line that appeared to be headed foul, but Sanchez touched the ball in fair territory and resulted in an infield hit. Escobar followed with a blooper to right field, and a run scored while Goodwin was thrown out at second.
TRAINER’S ROOM
White Sox: RHP Nate Jones is close to returning from the 60-day disabled list. He has been on the DL since June 24 with a muscle strain in his arm.
Royals: Manager Ned Yost said that RHP Ian Kennedy has only the “normal pitching soreness” following his first appearance since June 23. Kennedy went six innings Sunday in Minnesota. He gave up one run on four hits. … OF Brett Phillips, out since Sept. 5 with a bruised shoulder, took 30 swings off the tee. He said he can swing without pain, but the follow-through causes him to tighten up. There is no timetable for his return.
Photo credit – Charlie Riedel / Associated Press / Kansas City, MO
