Kris Bubic allowed two hits and struck out a career-high 11 over seven stellar shutout innings, and Carter Jensen clubbed a solo home run, as the Kansas City Royals snapped a three-game skid with Friday night’s 2-0 victory over the visiting Chicago White Sox.
An All-Star last season before his season ended due to a July rotator cuff injury, Bubic (2-1) didn’t yield a hit Friday until Lenyn Sosa led off the fifth inning with a double. The other hit Bubic surrendered came via Derek Hill’s single to open the sixth, as he went on to match a career best with seven complete innings and help the Royals even this four-game set.
The left-hander, whose previous high for strikeouts was nine, also walked just one while dropping his ERA to 2.50 over three 2026 starts. Kansas City relievers Matt Strahm and Lucas Erceg (four saves) retired the side in the eighth and ninth inning, respectively.
Bubic outdueled Davis Martin (2-1), who has recorded both of Chicago’s quality starts on the young season after giving up both runs and seven hits without a walk over seven innings. However, his White Sox teammates couldn’t generate any offense one night after posting their own 2-0 victory to snap a 14-game losing streak at Kansas City.
Chicago has lost 23 of their last 26 games at Kauffman Stadium.
The Royals opened the scoring in the fourth by ending their 15-inning scoreless rut. Maikel Garcia opened the frame with single to right field off Martin, then scored from first base on Bobby Witt Jr.’s double that lined off the top of left-field corner wall.
Witt has hit safely in 23 consecutive games against the White Sox.
Jensen, whose previous three 2026 homers came on the road, doubled the Royals’ lead in the seventh when he sent a one-out drive well over the right-field wall off Martin.
Though Kansas City managed to get back on track, they went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring. The Royals are 0-for-28 in that department over the last four contests.
–Field Level Media
