Starting pitcher Michael Soroka bounced back from a rough debut with a quality
For the Chicago White Sox or any baseball team, there’s no graceful way to lose 100 games. An egregious baserunning blunder, shoddy defense, inept offense, and a bullpen meltdown led to the latest blowout, a 10-1 loss to the Kansas City Royals on Thursday.
Starting pitcher Michael Soroka bounced back from a rough debut with a quality start on the road. Despite a solid outing from the righty, the abysmal White Sox offense provided minimal run support. The veteran exited the game trailing 2-1 and in line for the loss.
The South Siders grounded into inning-ending double plays in the first three innings, the third of which ended a bases-loaded, one-out threat. Chicago finally got on the board in the sixth when Yoan Moncada led off with a walk and advanced to third on Gavin Sheets’ double. Andrew Vaughn’s single plated Moncada while Sheets advanced to third.
However, in a recurring theme in recent years, third base coach Eddie Rodriguez sent the leaden-footed Sheets home on a shallow fly ball to right field. The strong-armed Hunter Renfroe turned the 9-2 double play, throwing out Sheets at home by a few steps.
Despite the White Sox’ futility, they only trailed by one run until the wheels fell off in the seventh. Kansas City scored eight times on four hits and an error by shortstop Braden Shewmake.
With the score 5-1 and the bases loaded with two outs, Shewmake allowed what should’ve been a routine inning-ending grounder to go under his glove. All three baserunners scored on the play, and M.J. Melendez capped off the inning with a two-run homer off Dominic Leone.
Royals starter Seth Lugo twirled 6.2 innings of one-run ball, allowing eight hits and two walks while fanning three. Kansas City’s bullpen, which entered the game with the highest ERA in MLB, held the White Sox hitless and scoreless the rest of the way.
News and Notes
Chicago designated infielder Jose Rodriguez for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster for Mike Clevinger. Clevinger’s deal became official Thursday after the righty passed his physical.
Eloy Jimenez remains day-to-day in hopes of avoiding an injured-list stint. Manager Pedro Grifol said before Thursday’s game that the DH may be available to pinch-hit as he works back from a left adductor injury.
Gavin Sheets, Jimenez’s replacement at DH, has reached base in seven straight plate appearances.
What’s On Tap Next?
Erick Fedde takes the hill Friday and looks to improve on his White Sox debut . He’ll face Royals’ righty Brady Singer in the second contest of the four-game weekend series. First pitch is at 6:40 PM CT and the game will air on NBC Sports Chicago.
Marny Sherman, the wife of Kansas City Royals owner John Sherman, says their Major League Baseball team and the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs are through with Kansas City, Missouri after a failed vote to provide them with stadium money.
She also said that once all is said and done, the best area residents can hope for is that the teams will only move to the Kansas side of the border.
Commenting on a Facebook post decrying the failed vote, Marny Sherman wrote, “Unfortunately neither team will work with Jackson County again.
“The lack of leadership has lost the city two treasured assets. I mean if you don’t support the Chiefs after 3 Super Bowl wins why would they stay? We will be lucky if both teams wind up in Kansas. At least still in the area!”
The vote that failed by a 58%-42% margin would have extended a 3/8 cent sales tax that was instituted in 2006 to help the Chiefs renovate Arrowhead Stadium and provide the Royals with money to build a new stadium.
The Chiefs’ and Royals’ current leases at the Truman Sports Complex will expire in 2031 and Chiefs CEO and chairman Clark Hunt has already stated that without additional funding the team would not sign a lease for another 25 years.
“Some are having buyers remorse on their NO vote,” Marny Sherman added in another Facebook comment.
In August of 2023, the Royals announced plans to build a new $2 billion stadium in either East Village or North Kansas City.
In February, the Chiefs unveiled their plans for a “reimagined” Arrowhead Stadium that would have cost around $800 million.
Now, politicos in Kansas and in Dallas are trying to woo the Royals and Chiefs respectively to move to their locales.
“Jackson County fumbled. Now there will be a mad scramble for the ball and we’re in the best position for a scoop and score,” former Kansas House Speaker Ron Ryckman Jr. told the Kansas City Star.
The Chiefs were founded in 1959 as the Dallas Texans as a member of the American Football League, relocating to Kansas City in 1963 where they have played ever since.
