Royals 12, White Sox 5: Disastrous Sixth Inning Sinks Sox

The Chicago White Sox wanted to keep the good vibes rolling from Cincinnati. In Pedro Grifol's return to Kansas City, things were looking up for the White Sox after Andrew Vaughn belted a two-run double in the third inning. That gave the White Sox a 3-1 lead, and with their ace starting pitcher Dylan Cease on the mound, it should have been a gateway to another victory. 

Alas, this is 2023, and whatever good thing happens doesn't last long for the White Sox. 

Cease had another rough outing in what has been a disappointing first quarter for him, and Aaron Bummer couldn't stop the bleeding. The Royals scored eight runs in the sixth inning to run away from the White Sox, winning 12-5. 

Tonight's issue for Cease was the four-seam fastball. Too often, Cease was pulling the pitch into the left-hander's box, and when it was near the zone, the Royals didn't have much issue against the heater. On 23 swings, the Royals only whiffed twice against Cease's fastball despite averaging 96.4 mph, almost a full mile per hour faster than his season average. 

One fastball placement burned Cease in the fourth inning. Facing MJ Melendez, Cease doubled up on a four-seamer. Melendez whiffed on the first one, but Cease put the next one too close to the previous location. It didn't fool Melendez, who crushed it for a two-run shot at a distance of 431 feet, and the game was tied 3-3. 

In the fifth inning, the Royals broke the tie thanks to doubles from Jackie Bradley Jr. and Vinnie Pasquantino. But Gavin Sheets helped out Cease in the top of the sixth inning. In a tense battle against Royals starter Zack Greinke, Sheets battled for ten pitches before crushing a middle-middle changeup for a solo home run. His fourth of the season tied it 4-4. 

Grifol had Cease start the sixth inning, and it wasn't pleasant. Cease allowed a single to Edward Olivares and then hit Nick Pratto with a pitch. Maikel Garcia attempted to lay down a bunt, but Cease would eventually walk him to load the bases with no outs. At that time, Grifol lifted Cease for Aaron Bummer to handle the upcoming Royals left-handed hitters. 

Here's how it went for Bummer against the Royals' left-handers:

• Michael Massey RBI single
• Jackie Bradley Jr. two-run double
• Vinnie Pasquantino grounded out
• MJ Melendez two-run single

Four left-handed hitters faced, and Bummer allowed three hits that generated five runs. Grifol would replace Bummer with Jimmy Lambert, and the fun didn't stop for the Royals. With the bases loaded again, Pratto doubled to left field, clearing the bases for three more runs. Suddenly, the Royals put up a snowman on the scoreboard, and it was 12-4. 

Here's how bad it's going for Bummer: he's allowed more earned runs (14) than strikeouts (13) this season.

After Bummer struggled, Cease's final line was also ugly: 5 IP 9 H 7 ER 1 BB 6 K. The season ERA is now 5.58, and Cease doesn't look like the guy everyone saw on Opening Day against Houston.  

Hanser Alberto added another RBI to his season total in the eighth inning as the White Sox finished with five runs. Unfortunately, the White Sox couldn't put together a touchdown drive in the ninth inning to pull off another miracle. 

Game Notes:

• Luis Robert Jr. committed a fielding error in the eighth inning dropping a fly ball. 
• White Sox offense put together eight hits with three walks while just striking out four times. They finished 2-for-7 with runners in scoring position. 
• Since 2021, the White Sox are 9-12 at Kauffman Stadium. 
• The Royals improve to 4-16 at home. 

Record: 12-24 | Box Score | StatCast