Chicago White Sox hold nerves to defeat Kansas City Royals 5-4 – MLB Update
The Chicago White Sox held their nerves to defeat the Kansas City Royals 5-4 in an intense encounter at the U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago, Illinois on Monday, July 4.
Aaron Crow could not restrict the White Sox as he slipped three runs in one inning to hand the White Sox a game that could have been theirs. The Royals were leading 3-2 till the top of the eighth inning after which Crow’s inability to handle pressure cost
them their 51st loss this season.
The Royals made a solid start to the game, scoring three runs in the first three innings without leaking a single run. Jeff Francoeur started proceedings with a massive 381-feet skier at the top of the first inning. Melky Cabrera contributed his share in
the score taking the score to 2-0 at the close of the first inning. Mitch Maier’s third inning effort registered a comfortable three-run lead for the Royals before they lost footing.
Adam Dunn added the first run on the board for the White Sox in the fourth inning followed by Ramon Castro’s brilliant hit in the fifth inning for his fourth home-run this season. The score stood at 3-2 with five innings completed.
The sixth and seventh inning passed quietly without much damage being done from either side. With the game nearing end, Dunn took charge from the White Sox at the bottom of the eighth inning and hammered Crow out of the field for his eighth home-run this
season and his second run of the game to level the score at 3-3. Brent Morel took advantage of this hit. With Crow under pressure, Morel quickly added another run to register a one-run lead in the low-scoring fixture.
The Royals needed a quick resurgence and Eric Hosmer rose to the challenge. The first baseman put all his force to hit the ball 412-feet into the stands to level the scoring at the top of the ninth inning. With no other batter augmenting the score, the Royals
needed to just contain the White Sox. This was not to be as a balk was called on Crow for moving on the mound and A.J. Pierzynski scored the winning run. Crow lost his second game of the season, in an unlikely manner though.
The White Sox pitchers were a bit more disciplined than their counterparts. Mark Buehrle did not have the best of the starts but the relief pitchers did a good job to hold the Royals. Jesse Crain ended with a clean sheet but it was Sergio Santos who took
on the pressure of saving the last run for the White Sox and efficiently accomplishing the task. He won his third game of the season.
After an intense win, the White Sox are now again at the .500 mark for the season. Kansas City had the most forgettable end to the game with a balk being called. The next game of the three-game series is scheduled for Tuesday, July 5.
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