KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kelvin Herrera had little trouble with the Chicago White Sox this season until Tuesday night.
Herrera surrendered a three-run homer to Todd Frazier in the 10th inning for his first hit in five at-bats, Justin Morneau had four hits and the White Sox beat the Kansas City Royals 7-5 on Tuesday night.
Herrera had pitched five scoreless innings against Chicago, allowing one hit and striking out seven.
“It didn’t do anything, down the middle,” Herrera said of his fastball that Frazier drove out of the park.
Despite hitting only .213, Frazier is tied for the major league lead with 31 homers and has 72 RBIs. His latest homer came on the first pitch from Herrera (1-4) after a single by Jose Abreu and a double by Morneau.
Manager Ned Yost could have opted to walk Frazier with first base open but said he “didn’t mind the matchup.”
Herrera served up a hit-me-out fastball to Frazier and he did.
“With Frazier, he just caught too much of the plate,” Yost said.
David Robertson (3-2) blew a save in the ninth when Alcides Escobar’s two-out single scored pinch-runner Jarrod Dyson.
Dan Jennings struck out Eric Hosmer to end the game, logging his first career save.
White Sox All-Star left-hander Chris Sale is 0-3 in five starts since a July 2 victory over Houston. He gave up three runs and seven hits in the first 2 1/3 innings but did not allow a hit after that. He threw 115 pitches in seven innings, striking out seven and walking one.
After Edinson Volquez retired the first two hitters in the fifth, the White Sox used five straight singles to score three runs and lead 4-3. Melky Cabrera, Abreu and Morneau each drove in a run.
“His whole game hinged on one-third of an inning,” Yost said. “The fifth came and he got two quick outs and then a succession of hits and he just couldn’t contain it.”
Paulo Orlando, batting leadoff for the first time this season, started the first with a double and scored on Cheslor Cuthbert’s single.
Hosmer’s single in the third scored Cuthbert and Lorenzo Cain, giving the Royals a 3-1 advantage. Sale retired the next 13 batters before walking Raul Mondesi in the seventh.
“We did a nice job of scoring a run in the first and Hosmer with a great piece of hitting to score two more in the third,” Yost said. “And he just settled in from that point. We just couldn’t do much more against him.”
Volquez allowed four runs, 10 hits and a walk over six innings.
“Bad pitches,” Volquez said of his fifth inning. “All those pitches were right in the middle. So it’s my fault.”
The Royals scored an unearned run in the 10th when Cuthbert doubled, took third on an error and scored on Cain’s groundout.
ABREU’S REUNION
Abreu, who is from Cuba, visited his 5-year-old son Dariel on the off-day Monday in Miami in his first time on United States soil. “I couldn’t say anything. I just started crying,” Abreu said. Dariel, who is staying with grandparents in Florida, will see his father play in the majors for the first time this weekend when the White Sox play at the Marlins.
TRAINER’S ROOM
White Sox: OF-DH Avisail Garcia was placed on the disabled list with a sprained right knee. OF Jason Coats was recalled from Triple-A Charlotte.
Royals: LHP Mike Minor (recovering from 2015 labrum surgery) threw 4 1/3 innings Sunday on a rehab start for Triple-A Omaha, allowing three hits and one run against Colorado Springs. Royals general manager Dayton Moore attended Minor’s start. “He was very impressed with his fastball command and had a very good changeup with a lot of life,” Royals manager Ned Yost said of Moore’s scouting report.
UP NEXT
White Sox: LHP Jose Quintana is 1-8 with a 4.28 ERA in 20 career starts against the Royals.
Royals: RHP Ian Kennedy has allowed one earned run and seven hits while striking out 15 in 13 innings in his past two starts.
Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.