If you’re not a fan of pitching duels, then the Royals-White Sox game was right up your alley, especially if you root for the Sox. The Royals didn’t have enough offense and lost 11-8 in Chicago.
The Royals erased an 8-6 deficit in the top of the sixth when John Buck and Ruben Gotay hit back-to-back home runs to tie the game at eight apiece. It was Buck’s sixth homer and Gotay’s fifth.
The tie didn’t last long, as Chicago rallied for three runs in the bottom half of the inning. Royals’ reliever Ryan Jensen allowed base hits to Tadahito Iguchi and Paul Konerko and walked former Royals’ outfielder Jermaine Dye to load the bases with two outs. A.J. Pierzynski drove in Iguchi and Konerko with a single. Westphalia, Missouri native Joe Crede made it 11-8 with a single to drive in Dye.
After holding the Dodgers to just one run over eight innings last Wednesday, Jose Lima (1-5) was roughed up by the White Sox on Monday. He was charged with seven runs off ten hits in just four innings of work. He gave up a three-run home run to Konerko in the first and a solo homer to Frank Thomas in the third. Lima has allowed 19 home runs this season, which is the most in the American League and third-most in all of baseball. He wasn’t charged with the loss–—that went to Jensen.
Mark Teahen was 1-for-4 with three RBI’s, while Matt Stairs was 1-for-3 with two RBI’s.
The Royals sent three players, including first baseman Mike Sweeney, to the disabled list on Monday. Sweeney is headed to the DL for the fourth straight season after tearing a ligament in his left wrist last week. Originally doctors thought it was just a sprain. He hurt the wrist after a collision with the Dodgers’ Jason Werth on the base path. He’s on the 15-day DL, which is retroactive to last week, so he could be available next week.
Relievers Jeremy Affeldt and Ambiorix Burgos are headed to the DL with a groin strain and shoulder pain, respectively. The Royals will be calling up pitcher Jimmy Gobble and first baseman Justin Huber, who was going to represent Wichita in the Class-AA All-Star Game.
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