After prevailing in a series finale that took them in several directions, the Kansas City Royals will visit the Chicago White Sox on Monday night in the opener of a three-game set.
Firmly in contention for an American League wild-card spot, Kansas City swept a three-game set from the visiting White Sox from Aug. 15-17 and is 8-2 against its division foe this season.
The Royals trail Seattle by three games for the final AL wild-card berth. Kansas City kept pace by avoiding a series sweep with a 10-8 win over Detroit on Sunday.
“It’s a big-vibes win there,” Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino said. “Good to get back in the win column.”
Every starter had at least one hit and scored a run for the Royals on Sunday. The varied attack helped them build a 6-1 lead after three innings and remain resilient after the Tigers surged ahead 7-6 after five.
“Just got to stay calm out there,” said Royals reliever John Schreiber, who recorded 1 1/3 scoreless innings to get the win. “I mean, every game right now is huge, and you’ve just got to stay calm and get the job done.”
Pasquantino and Maikel Garcia homered for Kansas City. Pasquantino has at least one extra-base hit in seven straight games, one shy of Danny Tartabull’s club record, set in 1991.
Chicago enjoyed a productive weekend to kick off a 10-game homestand, taking two of three games from the Minnesota Twins to earn its first series win at Rate Field since July 28-30 against Philadelphia.
It marked the 14th series victory for Chicago, compared with just eight last season.
A core of rookies helped the White Sox score at least seven runs in each game vs. the Twins. Shortstop Colson Montgomery slugged a home run in all three contests, including his first career grand slam on Saturday, and has at least one RBI in 18 of 32 games since the All-Star break.
Montgomery contributed a two-run blast Sunday while fellow rookies Edgar Quero and Kyle Teel combined to drive in three and two runs, respectively.
While Quero and Teel are catchers, their continued offensive production has prompted manager Will Venable to often put one player behind the plate while the other serves as designated hitter.
“Developmentally, it’s huge,” Venable said. “We’ve asked these guys to be in roles they haven’t been in before. That’s been new to them. At the same time, that’s the opportunity they get in the big leagues. … Excited to have both those guys in the lineup more often.”
Another White Sox rookie, right-hander Shane Smith, will have either Quero or Teel behind the plate to begin the game. Smith (3-7, 4.12 ERA) will seek his first victory since June 10. He has pitched to a 3.54 ERA in four August starts covering 20 1/3 innings but has taken a no-decision each time.
Smith lost at Kansas City on May 5 in his only career appearance against the Royals. He allowed two runs and five hits in five innings with three walks and five strikeouts.
Kansas City will counter with rookie left-hander Noah Cameron (7-5, 2.53). Cameron defeated the visiting White Sox 3-1 on Aug. 15, scattering one run and six hits in 5 1/3 innings. He is coming off Wednesday’s no-decision against Texas, when he allowed two runs and three hits in 4 2/3 innings with three walks and five strikeouts in his team’s 6-3 defeat.
–Field Level Media
