White Sox: Finish April with a series win over the Royals
After a five-game series against the Kansas City Royals, the 2018 Chicago White Sox walked away with a series victory.
The White Sox series at Kauffman Stadium was quite satisfying to watch as the Sox outscored the AL Central opponent by 10 runs.
The first three games were Sox wins and included a sweet little shut out. Unfortunately, the Sox couldn’t sweep the Royals, but the two losses were close.
The series included one make-up game, which was the matinee of the April 28 doubleheader. This was the shutout where the Sox outscored the Royals 8-0.
Strong at the plate
After five games in four days, it was easy to spot the strengths and weaknesses of the Sox. In this series, the Sox were strong at the plate and on the bases. On Thursday, the Sox were simply strong as four batters went yard a combined five times. Matt Davidson clearly loves hitting against the Royals as seven of his nine home runs have come at Kauffman Stadium. He hit three on Opening Day, two on April 26, and two more on April 27. The fourth homer delivered the win in extra innings.
It would not come as much of a surprise if the Royals attempted to trade for him.
Other players with notable performances
The other three players who went yard on April 26 were Welington Castillo, Yoan Moncada, and Trayce Thompson. The team handled Jacob Junis well on Thursday. Prior to this game, Junis had an ERA of 2.02. After it, his ERA jumped to 3.34. He is also leading the AL with home runs allowed thanks to the five that were hit off of him on Thursday.
Friday brought another White Sox win. Davidson hit two more home runs and Leury Garcia went 3 for 5 on the day. The team handled Danny Duffy, who has been tough competition in previous seasons. Reynaldo Lopez continued his success on the mound. Despite giving up 10 hits, he still has an ERA under two.
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The first game on Saturday was fun to watch. Only Castillo was kept off the bases as the Sox manhandled Trevor Oaks with their 12 hits. The team had 15 hits by the end of the day and converted 8 into runs, scoring on every pitcher.
Slowed down on Saturday and Sunday
But, the fun slowed in the night game on Saturday. The Sox lost the game 2-5, but not for lack of trying. The team struck out 11 times and recorded 8 hits. Tim Anderson hit his fourth home run of the season. Sunday’s loss was an up-and-down game that ended in the Royals favor 4-5. The hero of the game was Cheslor Cuthbert who clearly loves Chris Volstad. Cuthbert hit two dingers off of Volstad, which were the only two runs the relief pitcher allowed.
Another notable event over the weekend was the spat between Anderson and Salvador Perez. Anderson has been getting under the skin of veterans, first Justin Verlander, then Perez. I, for one, enjoy watching players have fun. Anderson’s behavior on the bases is exactly what brings younger people to the game.
Next: The Story of Tim Anderson and Sergeant Salvador Perez
Overall, the weekend was good for the Sox and for the fans who got to see their boys add some wins to their record. The next series