Technically, Eloy Jiménez returned Monday.
But really, Eloy Jiménez returned tonight.
Mike Matheny banked on seeing the former when he intentionally walked José Abreu with two outs in the eighth, putting runners on the corners for Jiménez in a 3-2 game. Kyle Zimmer came right at him with a fastball, which Jiménez fouled back.
Zimmer then tried a slider, and that's when everybody wearing a Royals uniform realized mistakes were made.
A 3-2 deficit turned into a 5-3 White Sox lead, Tony La Russa turned to Michael Kopech and Liam Hendriks for an inning apiece, and the White Sox resumed their winning ways at Kauffman Stadium with a come-from-behind victory that restored their AL Central lead to 9½ games.
Jiménez had shown he was back in other ways before the homer. He made two ranging catches -- one to the line, and one to the gap. He also gunned down Michael A. Taylor at the plate by 15 feet in what was the spiritual baserunning equivalent of Zimmer's hanger.
But Jiménez needed the eighth inning to find him in order to supply the finishing move, and the rest of the lineup got it to him. Matheny lifted Brad Keller after seven strong innings for lefty Jake Brentz, who immediately allowed a double to Leury García, then plunked Adam Engel (pinch-hitting for Zack Collins) on a 1-2 pitch. A changeup in the dirt moved both runners into scoring position, and while Tim Anderson's hot shot found Hunter Dozier at third, Yoán Moncada's grounder to second base allowed one run to score for a 3-2 game.
Zimmer came in to face José Abreu, only to intentionally walk him instead, and that's when Jiménez took over.
Prior to the seventh, this had all the makings of another quiet White Sox loss of recent vintage. The White Sox offense could only muster a Gavin Sheets solo shot against Keller over seven innings. Sheets' homer was preceded by Jiménez grounding into a double play, which was more characteristic of the affairs.
In the second inning, the Sox had runners on the corners with one out after Jiménez advanced on Andrew Vaughn's foul pop-out, but Brian Goodwin and García both struck out. Yoán Moncada grounded into an inning-ending double play in the third inning. Sheets homered in the fourth, but Keller recovered to retire 10 of the last 11 he faced.
Fortunately, Dylan Cease pitched decently for the Sox, aided by a few questionable decisions from KC. There was the idea to send Taylor in the second, ending an inning that could've spiraled out of control, as Vaughn dropped a fly in right field with two outs to lead to the second Royal run of the frame.
The Royals answered Sheets' homer with a Ryan O'Hearn single in the bottom of the fourth, but an attempt to start a rally in the fifth started with a Whit Merrifield single, and ended with Merrifield getting cut down at second by Goodwin. The replay seemed to show that Merrifield's hand reached the bag before García's tag reached his chest, but Matheny didn't challenge.
Likewise, when Reynaldo López opened the seventh with a leadoff walk to Hunter Dozier, Matheny started Dozier on a 1-2 count to Taylor. López recorded the strikeout with a perfect up-and-in fastball, and Zack Collins made a perfect throw for the third Kansas City baserunning out. López made it the rest of the way without incident and picked up the victory for his troubles.
Bullet points:
*Cease threw a quality start despite early wobbles: 6 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K. He recorded 14 whiffs on 89 pitches.
*Jiménez was replaced defensively after his homer, with Engel taking over in center, Goodwin moving to right, and Vaughn moving to left.
*Kopech struck out the side on 14 pitches in the eighth.
