The backside of the ninth inning started with an at all times troublesome stroll Thursday at Kauffman Stadium.
It concluded with an ideal bunt and with that the top of a disappointing collection for the Chicago White Sox.
Afterward, supervisor Pedro Grifol acquired straight to the purpose.
“We got outplayed in the series,” Grifol mentioned. “Flat out.”
The Sox went to Kansas City seeking to construct on back-to-back collection wins towards the Minnesota Twins and Cincinnati Reds.
They left city dropping three of 4 to the Royals, who’ve second-worst report in baseball. The Sox suffered a walkoff loss Thursday, falling 4-3 in entrance of 20,321.
The Sox are 13-26, only a sport forward of the last-place Royals (12-27) within the American League Central.
Here are three takeaways from misplaced journey.
1. Pedro Grifol needs to see urgency.
The Sox trailed by two runs within the eighth inning Thursday. Andrew Vaughn and Carlos Pérez singled towards Aroldis Chapman, bringing Luis Robert Jr. to the plate.
Robert lined a double simply truthful down the left-field line. Both runners scored to tie the sport at 3.
The momentum didn’t final lengthy.
Reynaldo López walked Nick Pratto main off the ninth. Pratto moved to 3rd on a one-out single from Matt Duffy. Freddy Fermin squared round on the following pitch and positioned an ideal bunt in entrance of the plate. Pratto scored handy the Sox the walk-off defeat.
“Concerned? There’s a lot of baseball left,” Grifol mentioned. “Disappointed at instances with lack of urgency? Absolutely. I’m. Absolutely. That begins with me. So we’ve acquired to be higher. We’ve acquired to be higher as a employees. We’ve acquired to be higher as a ballclub. We should make the most of conditions like this.
“We tie a game up in the eighth inning, we’ve got to take advantage of this type of opportunity. We played pretty good baseball in Cincinnati. We had some momentum coming in and we got outplayed.”
When it involves urgency, Grifol mentioned: “At times we show it. At times we don’t.”
“I’m not going to sit here and continue to say it’s a long season,” Grifol mentioned. “That’s not what I’m about. I don’t look too far forward. I do know it’s a freaking lengthy season. I do know it’s. It’s 162 video games. But I’m not centered on 162 video games. I’m centered on immediately successful a baseball sport immediately and preparing for tomorrow.
“We have to play with that type of urgency every single day.”
Grifol mentioned the main target is on “right now.”
“This is it,” he mentioned. “Right now. This is the sport. This is just not, ‘I know it’s an extended season.’ I get it. I perceive that. I do know we acquired runs in us. But I’m not centered on that.
“I’m focused on winning today’s baseball game, so there’s urgency every single day. Every day there’s urgency to win baseball games.”
2. Lance Lynn is seeking to ‘right the ship.’
After Thursday’s sport, the Sox had two pitchers within the prime six of a class they want to keep away from.
Lance Lynn had the second-highest highest ERA amongst certified pitchers within the majors at 7.51. Only the Royals’ Brady Singer, who restricted the Sox to 1 run in six innings Thursday, was larger (7.71).
Dylan Cease was sixth on the record with a 5.58 ERA.
Both struggled in begins towards the Royals.
Cease on Monday allowed a season-high seven runs, one shy of his profession excessive, in a 12-5 loss. He has allowed 22 earned runs in 24 innings throughout his final 5 begins.
Lynn allowed seven runs in 5 innings Wednesday in a 9-1 defeat. Lynn surrendered two homers and is fourth within the majors permitting 11 this season.
Grifol mentioned of Lynn and Cease after Wednesday’s sport: “These guys are going to figure it out.”
Lynn didn’t should go too far again for an instance of turning it round.
“If you look at my first so many starts last year, they were horse(blank) too,” Lynn mentioned Wednesday. “So hopefully I can proper the ship like that.
“That’s my goal, that’s my plan and that’s what I’m intending to do.”
3. The Sox had one other damage scare, however assistance is probably on the way in which.
Yasmani Grandal’s liner within the second inning Thursday practically left the park.
The ball hit the highest of the wall in right-center, and Grandal made his method to second for a double. He obtained a go to from the coaching employees after the hit however remained within the sport.
The catcher singled within the fourth and exited with proper hamstring tightness. Grifol had simply obtained a report on Grandal earlier than assembly with reporters.
“I think he’s going to be all right, might have just been a cramp, I’m not sure,” he mentioned. “I’ve got to dig in a little bit more on that.”
Before the sport Grifol mentioned “there’s a real possibility” Yoán Moncada will return for the weekend collection towards the Houston Astros at Guaranteed Rate Field. The third baseman has been on the injured record retroactive to April 11 with decrease again soreness.
Moncada has been on a tear throughout his rehab project with Triple-A Charlotte, going 8-for-12 with two house runs, 4 RBIs, 4 runs and two walks in 4 video games.
The Sox can actually take any form of spark.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com