Field Level Media
Aug 28, 2020
Yasmani Grandal smacked a walk-off home run against Ian Kennedy leading off the bottom of the ninth and Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert also homered as the host Chicago White Sox defeated the Kansas City Royals 6-5 on Friday night for their third straight victory and 10th win in 11 games.
Chicago recovered quickly after closer Alex Colome suffered his first blown save in seven chances, as Kansas City capitalized on a defensive breakdown by Chicago to tie the game in the ninth. With one out and a runner at first, Maikel Franco doubled to left field, advancing to second after escaping White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu in a rundown.
After tumbling to the ground in pursuit, Abreu threw home as catcher Grandal had his head turned. The ball rolled to the screen, allowing the Royals to score the tying run.
Yoan Moncada hit a go-ahead RBI single with the bases loaded in the seventh inning for the White Sox after the Royals' Jorge Soler tied the game at 4 with a two-run, opposite field home run to right in the top of the seventh. Moncada responded in the bottom half against Kansas City reliever Scott Barlow, punctuating a nine-pitch at-bat with a base hit to right field.
Colome (1-0) was the winner, allowing one run on one hit with one walk and one strikeout in 1 1/3 innings. Kennedy fell to 0-2 with the loss.
Jimenez went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run to extend his hitting streak to eight games, while Abreu doubled to stretch his hitting streak to 11. Robert, Moncada and Grandal each had two hits and an RBI.
Alex Gordon went 3-for-5 for the Royals, who stranded 11 runners and lost for the eighth time in 11 games. Soler and Franco had two hits apiece.
In his second outing since returning from the injured list with inflammation in his right (pitching) shoulder, White Sox starter Reynaldo Lopez spaced two runs and six hits in four innings with two walks and four strikeouts.
Lopez yielded a solo home run to Whit Merrifield leading off the third and an RBI single off the bat of Ryan O'Hearn three batters later.
Royals left-hander Danny Duffy scattered four runs (three earned) on seven hits in 5 2/3 innings. Duffy walked one and struck out six.
White Sox rookie reliever Matt Foster surrendered the first runs of his career on Soler's homer after logging 14 2/3 scoreless innings.
--Field Level Media