Chicago White Sox defeat Kansas City Royals 5-2 – MLB Update
Mark Buehrle went on a rampage pitching seven effective innings, to help the Chicago White Sox beat the Kansas City Royals 5-2 at Kauffman Stadium on Monday, July 18.
Buehrle, who has not won a game since June 9, threw pitches of impeccable variation to win the game.
"That's what we're looking for every time we score, our pitcher to shut it down," White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said.
Having won 11 of the last 13 games that the White Sox have played, Monday’s encounter – the first of three-game series, was in effect dominated by Buehrle and constantly supported by the equally revitalised offence.
This was the 22nd win for Buehrle against the Kansas City Royals.
"It just shows you've been around, you've been healthy," said Buehrle. "They weren't the best team the past couple years, but they're getting better. And it seems the past couple starts against me, they've gone out there and given me trouble."
Kyle Davies began the game with his supposedly strong pitching spell, but fell victim to an early hit of Alexei Ramirez who hit a sacrifice fly to left, enabling Juan Pierre to score the first run for the White Sox.
Having got an early lead, the White Sox starter Buehrle did not stop as he unleashed a magical spell, virtually rendering the Royals’ hitters unable to swing their bats. With the velocity that he pitched, things seem difficult for the Royals to manage.
While Buehrle pitched the third scoreless inning, Paul Konerko went against Kyle Davies. Konerko drove an RBI single to double the White Sox lead, much to the disappointment of Royals’ starter Davies.
"I was trying to pitch on both sides of the plate and not be so predictable," said Davies, who has not won since beating Minnesota on April 13. "I still need to be a little bit better than that."
The fifth inning remained slightly eventful for the Royals’ hitter, Melky Cabrera and Billy Butler, whose respective singles levelled the score, adding an entertaining flavour to the game. However, the White Sox hitters responded back swiftly.
Mark Teahen and Juan Pierre capitalised on the seemingly slowing velocity of Davies’ pitches and got a single each to take the lead to 4-2 in the two-run one hit sixth inning. Once the lead was established, Buehrle came down harder on the Royals’ offence.
With a 3.38 ERA in the 19 games that Buehrle has played this season, the White Sox starter pitched a shut-out seventh inning followed by Gordon Beckham’s single for the White Sox in the eighth inning, taking the lead to 5-2.
The reliever Jesse Crain pitched a shut-out eighth and Matt Thornton a scoreless ninth to turn the 5-2 lead into victory for the White Sox, giving it a 1-0 lead in the three-game series.
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