KANSAS CITY, Mo. — There are wins, and then there are wins that bode well for the White Sox future, like their 5-2 victory over the Royals Sunday at Kauffman Stadium.
Eloy Jimenez, Reynaldo Lopez, Yoan Moncada, Tim Anderson and Aaron Bummer — future core pieces all of them —had good days. If the longest homer hit at Kauffman in two years, by a rookie, no less, or a four-hit day qualify, make that “great.”
Jimenez, 22, hit a 471-foot homer against Glenn Sparkman his first time at-bat and doubled against Scott Barlow and scored his last time up.
Lopez, 25, pitched six innings of one-run ball, striking out eight while allowing five baserunners, a stark contrast to previous three starts in which he had pitched to a 12.83 ERA.
Moncada, 24, singled four times on a 4-for-5 afternoon with an RBI, matching his career high for hits.
Anderson, 25, went 2-for-4 with an RBI double and Bummer, 25, pitched a scoreless eighth inning with two strikeouts to lower his ERA to 0.49.
All of this a day after Lucas Giolito, 24, continued to keep his name in early-season Cy Young conversations by shutting out the Royals over 7 2⁄3 innings in a 2-0 Sox victory. In that one, Jimenez supplied the offense with a two-run homer.
“All the pieces are falling in the right place right now,” said Lopez, who reminded why he was the Sox’ best starter last season. “We’re working as an engine. We’re doing the things we’re supposed to do. All the young guys, me included, we’re trying to get better to keep moving forward and help us win games.”
One good performance in four won’t get that done, but Lopez said he figured something out.
“I was able to clear my mind and just focus on the pitches I needed to execute instead of thinking about the situation of the game or mechanics or things I was thinking about before,” he said through translator Billy Russo.
Commanding his breaking pitches once again made the difference.
“All my pitches worked good,” Lopez said. “I was able to command, execute and finish the way I know I can.”
Jimenez is starting to hit the way everyone thinks he can. In the second inning he was looking for a fastball, got a curve, and was out on his front foot when he connected for a homer that traveled 11 feet shy of the longest homer in the majors this season and the longest at Kauffman since Brandon Moss hit a 474-foot shot for the Royals against the Twins July 1, 2017. Ketel Marte and Nomar Mazara each own 482-footers, per Statcast.
“He hung me one, and I just swung,” Jimenez said.
“Wow, it was well struck. I lost it,” Renteria said. “I don’t know if it hit the water or where it landed.
“He has strength and power, and that will continue to come. “
Jimenez said he hit one 490 feet during spring training as a Cubs prospect, but this one actually counted. After a slow start, he is 11-for-32 with five extra-base hits in his last nine games.
“I feel much better,” he said. “I feel more patient and I’m seeing the ball better.”
After losing the first two games of a road trip to the Nationals, the Sox (31-33) feel better after taking the last two games of the series against the Royals (20-44). The Sox have won three of their last four series and eight of their last 12 games. They finish a five-day road trip that began with two losses to the Nationals at 2-3 and return home to play two interleague games against the Nationals Monday and Tuesday.
Stay tuned in their quest to be good.
“I think we’re good now,” Jimenez said. “We’re working hard and we’re just trying to enjoy the game. We’re just going to keep going.”
