Kansas City — Nelson Velázquez and MJ Melendez homered and drove in two runs to help Seth Lugo and the Kansas City Royals beat the Chicago White Sox 10-1 on Thursday.
Kansas City scored eight runs in the seventh after right fielder Hunter Renfroe threw out the potential tying run in the sixth. Velázquez singled and homered to score the first two runs. “I was just trying to make contact,” he claimed. “I’m feeling good, trusting in everything we’ve done since spring training.”
For his first Royals win, Lugo (1-0) allowed one run and eight hits in 6 2/3 innings. A Kansas City starter with a 1.43 ERA had another good outing. “Seth attacked from the beginning,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “He threw many strikes and mixed pitches. He gets many groundballs.”
Lugo walked two and struck out three. Angel Zerpa ended the seventh by retiring Andrew Benintendi with a runner on second, maintaining a one-run lead. “I thought I made some good pitches,” Lugo said. “They had soft hits.” Michael Soroka (0-1) gave up two runs and six hits in six innings in his second White Sox start.
Velázquez's second-inning RBI single scored Kansas City. The White Sox loaded the bases with one out in the third on two singles and an error by shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., but Witt turned an inning-ending double play.
Ironically, before the game we were looking at it, we had only turned one double play before tonight,” Quatraro said. I don't know how many it was tonight, three or four, but that was essential to staying out of trouble and throwing out the run at the plate.” A 429-foot shot into the fountains in left-center by Velázquez made it 2-0 in the fourth.
One run off Lugo in the sixth ended a 25-inning scoreless streak for Chicago. Andrew Vaughn singled to score Yoán Moncada. Renfroe cut down Gavin Sheets at the plate tagging up from third after Braden Shewmake flied out, saving Lugo.
The Royals broke it open in the sixth. Pinch-hitter Adam Frazier had two one-out walks and a single from Deivi García. A single by Kyle Isbel and another by Maikel Garcia drove in two runs, chasing García. Witt was walked by Dominic Leone before Shewmake's two-out shortstop mistake scored three more.
“(The walks) really opened up the floodgates,” Chicago manager Pedro Grifol said. You risk difficulties by walking two males. We lost one inning of baseball. We made some fundamental and physical faults that we need to fix.” Melendez hit a two-run homer for his first season homer. “It was a good ballgame until the seventh inning and we lost it,” Grifol remarked. “Crooked numbers always walk in. Walking kills.”
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