Yes indeed, get ready, because every sentence in this lede is going to sound more absurd than the last.
The Chicago White Sox have defeated the Kansas City Royals, 6-2. They swept the Royals in a three-game series. The win has put the White Sox record at 22-21. It has also strengthened the White Sox’s grip on an American League wild card spot. They are only one game back of the Guardians for the Central Division lead.
Sorry, I had to step away for a minute so I could laugh. White Sox baseball makes
me happy! I’m writing that, and I don’t even have a traumatic brain injury!
The first inning defined the tenor of the entire game. We had a “Spiderman pointing at himself” pitching matchup between Kris Bubic and Anthony Kay, two lefthanders who lean on their offspeed stuff. They even land their plant foots on the same spot of the mound, as color man Steve Stone helpfully pointed out.
It didn’t come as a shock that both clubs also had the same plan of attack against their respective opposing pitcher: Make him live up in the zone, where they’re uncomfortable. The Royals had success early on. First, Maikel García hit a leadoff single. Then, that damned Bobby Witt Jr. waited on a changeup down-and-away that he smacked for a single, moving García to third.
Kay was up for the challenge (see what I did there?): He started living up in the zone, giving up a sacrifice fly to Lane Thomas before getting Salvador Pérez to chase a head-high fastball for a strikeout, then putting away Vinnie Pasquatino on three pitches to get out of the first inning with only the one earned run.
The bottom of the inning saw started well for Bubic, as he retired Chase Meidroth and Miguel Vargas. Next up was Munetaka Murakami. This matchup was a double-edged sword for Mune: On one hand, he had gone 0-for-3 with three strikeouts in his first game against Bubic. However, Murakami is finally getting to see some of these MLB pitchers a second time. It’s really quite impressive how well he’s done to this point in the season against a league full of strangers.
Familiarity was a good look on Mune, who drew a walk ahead of fledgling White Sox platoon bat Randal Grichuk. Grichuk spit on a two-strike pitch similar to what put out Vargas earlier in the inning — a high sweeper. His high offer rebuked, Bubic came down in the zone. Grichuk stayed back on the pitch and blasted it out of the ballpark. A one-run deficit flipped to a one-run lead, and Kay had the edge against Bubic in the battle of the high strike.
In the third inning, Kay had to contend with the middle of the Royals lineup. He collected two quick outs from Witt and No. 3 hitter Thomas, then forced second baseman Nick Loftin into an inning-ending fielder’s choice after Pérez muscled a slider off his hands for an ultimately harmless two-out single. And yeah, if I had my choice as a fielder, I’d probably take the force out on Pérez too.
The White Sox started the third off with a four-pitch walk by Meidroth before Vargas hit a single — waiting back on a changeup, of course. Murakami took his second walk to load the bases for Grichuk, who sliced a single into the outfield for his third and fourth runs batted in.
I have a confession to make: I took the garbage out between the top and bottom of the fourth inning, but I was a little late trudging up the stairs. When I got back to my TV, Luisangel Acuña had reached base. I guess I have to believe he got on base somehow, although without having seen it, I still have a hard time believing it. What isn’t in doubt is Acuña’s speed. He stole second base and then scored on Meidroth’s two-out single to expend the lead, 5-1.
As the Chicago bullpen began to stir, Anthony Kay worked a marvelous seven-pitch sixth inning to put the game to bed early. Kay gave up a triple to fellow lefty Kyle Isbel to open the seventh. He’d score on a García ground out induced by reliever Tyler Davis, putting Kay’s final line at 6 IP, 2 ER, 2 BB and 4 Ks. His six innings of work allowed Will Venable’s bullpen get some rest headed into the Crosstown series this weekend.
In the eighth inning, Sam Antonacci came off the bench to hit a double, as a little treat for the South Side fans in attendance. Antonacci came up limping into second, briefly giving everybody a heart attack, but he seemed fine as he completed his run on a Derek Hill single.
Antonacci’s run completed the scoring for the game, as first Davis and then Sean Newcomb closed the door. Regarding their performance, I bestow the highest compliment a bullpen arm can receive: Their innings were boring. And now the White Sox are better than .500 after Cinco de Mayo.
Bring on the Cubs.
