 allowed one run and four hits in six innings. He walked one and struck out eight.Lopez had been struggling recently, giving up 19 earned runs in his last 13 1/3 innings over his previous three starts.''All my pitches were good today,'' he said. ''I was able to command, execute and finish all my pitches the way I know I can do it.''I know that this team needs me, and I need to perform at my best every time I'm out there. We're fighting every day and we want to win every time we're on the field. Today was a step forward to that purpose,'' he said.His manager appreciated the difference.''He threw very, very well,'' Chicago manager Rick Renteria said. ''His curveball was working very well, and his slider was working well. He was using it for punchouts. He commanded his fastball a little better. All in all, much better in catching the strike zone and mixing in his secondary pitches.'' Yoan Moncada had four hits and an RBI for the White Sox, who lost the series opener but had back-to-back solid pitching performances to take the last two games.The Royals are 0-6 in rubber games in 2019, continuing a streak that started early last season. Kansas City has lost 14 straight rubber games, dating to May 30, 2018, and is now 0-14-2 in its last 16 series.They struck out 11 times, the 11th time in 16 games they've reached double-figures.''We're on a strikeout run here,'' Kansas City manager Ned Yost said. ''We're striking out a bunch, but they're not on strikes, generally. They're on pitches down below the zone. Curveballs give us a bit of a problem here lately, and we keep swinging at them.'' Glenn Sparkman (1-2) gave up two earned runs and eight hits in 6 2/3 innings.Jimenez led off the second with the longest home run at Kauffman Stadium since Brandon Moss hit a 474-foot drive for the Royals against the Twins July 1, 2017. The White Sox added an unearned run later in the inning on Charlie Tilson's double.''Nah,'' Jimenez said through a smile when asked if that was the farthest home run he'd hit. ''In a game, I hit one 490 in spring training. This was my first in the majors in a game that counted.'' Jorge Soler hit a 445-foot shot homer in the fourth, snapping Kansas City's 13-inning scoreless drought.The White Sox got a run in each of the last three innings, on Moncada's single that scored Tilson in the seventh, an eighth-inning double by Tim Anderson and an unearned run in the ninth.TRAINER'S ROOMRoyals 1B Lucas Duda continues on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Omaha. He's 12 for 35 with one home run and three doubles in 10 games with the Storm Chasers. He's been on the IL since April 26 with a lumbar strain.ROSTER NEWSWhite Sox RHP Dylan Covey was placed on the 10-day injured list with shoulder inflammation, retroactive to June 6. The White Sox recalled RHP Thyago Vieira from Triple-A Charlotte. Vieira is 1-0 with 2.08 ERA in three relief appearances with the White Sox this season. He was 3-1 with 17 saves and 24 strikeouts in 17 appearances in Charlotte.UP NEXTWhite Sox: Open a six-game, seven-day homestand Monday against the Washington Nationals. Renteria said the White Sox would make the decision on their starter Monday after talking to the players who may be affected by any roster moves. The Nationals swept a two-game series from Chicago on June 4-5, including winning on a walk-off home run by Trea Turner in the second game.Royals: Will have Monday off before opening a three-game series against the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday. RHP Jakob Junis (4-6, 5.63 ERA) will start for the Royals against Spencer Turnbull (3-5, 3.01 ERA).---More MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/-Sports)
Royals, White Sox ready for rubber game of seriesFLMThe visiting Chicago White Sox and Kansas City Royals will play the rubber game of their three-game series Sunday.While the White Sox are 4-3 in rubber games this season, the Royals have lost their last 13 episodes dating back to May 30, 2018.Chicago will send Reynaldo Lopez (3-6, 6.62 ERA) to the mound for the series finale. He hasn't been an innings-eater for Chicago. He's pitched more than six innings only once in 13 starts, and he's averaged just over five per start. He's 1-1 with a 5.74 in three starts against Kansas City this year. He's 0-2 with a 12.83 ERA in his last three starts overall.Lopez will be helped by his catcher, James McCann, who has built his career on being a strong defensive player. He didn't make an error until his third season in the major leagues. His best trait has been throwing out prospective baserunners. He has a 37 percent caught-stealing ratio (112 out of 306 attempts), compared to the league average of 29 percent. He's at 33 percent this season (six of 18).Lucas Giolito, who pitched 7 2/3 scoreless innings in Saturday's 2-0 victory over Kansas City, gave McCann the most credit."McCann had a really good game plan," were the first words out of his mouth after his eighth straight victory.This season, McCann has added stats befitting a clean-up hitter, a role he's filled 16 times in 39 starts, including the first two games of the White Sox series with the Royals. He hasn't shown the power numbers as much as batting average (.333, four home runs, 15 RBIs), but considering the fact that he's a career .248 hitter, with his best season a .264 average as a rookie in 2015, this is strange new ground."Honestly, the biggest thing that I can attribute to is just staying within myself," McCann said of his newfound success. "I'm not trying to hit the six-run homer that's impossible to hit. I'm taking what's given to me. If that means taking a pitch and hitting it the other way, if that means pulling a pitch, whatever it means. At the end of the day it's just trying to stay within myself and not try to do too much." He started the season in the eighth spot but gradually moved closer to the middle of the lineup. With the exception of one start, he's either batted fourth or fifth in every start since late-April.Kansas City will hope to get more than an inning out of Glenn Sparkman (1-1, 3.77 ERA) against the White Sox. He allowed four runs on three hits in one inning in his last outing against Chicago. He was ejected in the second inning after hitting Tim Anderson in the head to start the second inning. He was surprised he got tossed so quickly."It was a complete accident," he said. "I was surprised I didn't get a warning first." The Royals' history of animosity with the White Sox may have entered into the quick hook, but Sparkman said he has no history with that opponent."I have nothing against them at all. I just try to go out there and pitch my game." So far this year, that's been pretty good, especially at Kauffman Stadium. In two starts at home, Sparkman has allowed one earned run in 12 1/3 innings.--Field Level Media
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