KANSAS CITY, Mo. — First game of a series? First loss of the series.
So it always seems to go for the White Sox, who lost to the Royals 4-2 Tuesday in the first game of a doubleheader to fall to 12-23 in the opening game of a series.
How to fix it?
“Play better,” manager Tony La Russa said after the latest one.
The Sox did that in Game 2 with the help of two rookies. Davis Martin pitched better in Game 2 than veteran Lance Lynn did in Game 1, and the Sox hit the long ball better with two homers in Game 2 for a 3-2 victory.
Rookie Lenyn Sosa, who played second base, and Yoan Moncada supplied the needed power in the nightcap, helping the Sox (56-54) gain a split against the 45-66 Royals. Sosa could see opportunities at shortstop with Tim Anderson out for six weeks.
He homered against Jonathan Heasley in his first at-bat.
“I was just thinking about what my family was feeling at that moment — my wife, my children and my friends,” Sosa said. “It was a special moment.”
Gavin Sheets doubled in pinch runner Luis Robert in the eighth inning to make it 3-1, a run that became big after closer Liam Hendriks gave up a run in the ninth.
Martin, called up from Triple-A Charlotte as the 27th man for the twin bill and returned after the game, pitched 5⅔ innings of one-run ball.
“It’s the fighting mindset,” Martin said of the Sox going forward without Anderson. “And I’ve played with Lenyn Sosa since 2019 in Low-A. I know what he’s going to bring.”
Martin walked one, allowed three hits and lowered his ERA to 4.25 in his fourth start.
Sosa went 2-for-4 and lined out to right field, making an impression at a time when the Sox need it.
“Anyone who hits a home run and gets a hit injects energy to our club; we’re looking for runs,” La Russa said. “He gets called up and produces. That’s more impressive.”
La Russa said Sosa might play shortstop Wednesday and could play second base or third Thursday afternoon.
Homers sting Lynn in opener
Brady Singer held the Sox to one run and five hits in 7„ innings, outpitching Lynn, who gave up two-run homers to Vinnie Pasquantino and Nick Pratto after Josh Harrison had given the Sox a 1-0 lead with his sixth homer.
“Two pitches cost me four runs,” said Lynn, who has allowed 13 homers in his 11 starts this season.
Lynn (2-5, 5.88 ERA) went six innings, allowed four runs and seven hits, walked one and struck out five.
Splitsville
The last time the Sox swept a doubleheader from the Royals was April 22, 1972, in Chicago. They have never swept the Royals in Kansas City. The last Royals sweep against the Sox was on Aug. 6, 1976, in Chicago.
The teams have played 26 doubleheaders against each other.
This and that
Right-hander Reynaldo Lopez (back strain) was reinstated from the injured list and pitched a scoreless seventh in the second game. Lopez touched 99 and 100 mph.
† Joe Kelly ran his scoreless-appearance streak to 12 in the first game.
† Eloy Jimenez is 23-for-56 (.411) in his last 15 games. Jimenez singled three times and walked in the second game.
