Tim Anderson, Nick Madrigal and Yoan Moncada collected two hits apiece in an eight-run first inning that also featured a Danny Mendick two-run home run as the visiting Chicago White Sox rode an early outburst to a 9-1 rout of the Kansas City Royals on Saturday night.
Chicago pummeled Royals left-hander Daniel Lynch, ending the left-hander’s second major league start after just two-thirds of an inning. Lynch (0-1) allowed eight runs on seven hits with one walk while throwing just 34 pitches as the Royals sputtered to their seventh straight loss.
The White Sox hit for the cycle as a team against Lynch, with Moncada delivering a two-run double, Andrew Vaughn adding an RBI double, Leury Garcia providing a run-scoring triple and Moncada punctuating the rally with an RBI single against reliever Tyler Zuber.
The White Sox had nine hits in the first inning while sending 12 men to the plate. Kansas City nearly escaped with merely a three-run deficit, but Andrew Benintendi’s leaping attempt at Vaughn’s fly ball to the left field wall was unsuccessful.
At any rate, the run support sufficed for Chicago righty Lance Lynn, who extended to 25 1/3 innings the rotation’s scoreless innings streak with five clean frames.
Lynn (3-1) scattered one hit with four walks and six strikeouts.
Royals lefty Kris Bubic kept the team from falling further behind while saving the bullpen, pitching 5 2/3 innings of one-hit relief with three walks and two strikeouts. The White Sox managed just three hits after the first inning. Chicago capped the scoring on a Yermin Mercedes RBI single in the ninth.
Kansas City snapped a streak of 28 straight scoreless innings in the seventh, as a Whit Merrifield groundout scored Jarrod Dyson, who opened the inning with a triple against reliever Michael Kopech.
It marked the Royals’ first run since the fifth inning of Wednesday’s 5-4 home loss to Cleveland.
Moncada had three RBIs. Leury Garcia had two hits, and Yasmani Grandal walked four times, giving him 13 walks in the past four games.
Carlos Santana singled twice for Kansas City, which was out-hit 12-6.
–Field Level Media