When Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert are out for most of and possibly all of the season with injuries, a sinking feeling swept through Guaranteed Rate Field Friday when White Sox star first baseman Jose Abreu had to be helped off the field after a hard collision with the Royals’ Hunter Dozier.
Both players were down for several moments and with Abreu holding his head, it had the look of the reigning MVP being lost for an extended time, but the initial assessment for a concussion was negative.
Whew.
The Sox lost 6-2 but were relieved to know Abreu is day-to-day with a bruised left knee and a bruise and cut on his face. He slammed into Dozier — who also left the game — in the second inning after Dozier, who popped out to catcher Yasmani Grandal, ran to Grandal’s right but with his head down and consequently not seeing Abreu running toward the play looking to the sky tracking the foul ball. Dozier and Abreu crashed into each other around their shoulder areas and spun to the ground.
Abreu (.240/.336/.457), who had a six-game hitting streak (9-for-23, .391) stopped the hard way. He has nine RBI in his last five games and is enjoying his hottest streak of the season. His sacrifice fly against righty Brad Keller in the first inning scoring Tim Anderson was the 703rd of his career, tying him with Magglio Ordóñez for 10th in Sox history. It was Abreu’s 32nd RBI of the season.
Grandal moved to first base and Zack Collins took over at catcher, and on Sox starter Lucas Giolito’s first pitch after the injury delay, Michael Taylor homered to right field to give the Royals a 2-1 lead, and Salvador Perez hit a three-run homer, like Taylor’s helped by a wind blowing toward right field. The Sox got a run back on Andrew Vaughn’s sacrifice fly in the fourth.
Giolito allowed five earned runs on six hits and three walks, striking out seven
The Royals snapped an 11-game losing streak and stopped the Sox’ six-game winning streak.
Dozier left the game with a bruised quad and sore neck and was replaced by Hanser Alberto at third base.
