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A grand night from Bobby Witt Jr. helps Kansas City Royals rally past White Sox

pete grathoff
·3 min read

As a heat wave overtakes Kansas City, meteorologists should roll out a new analogy to describe the weather.

It’s as torrid out there as Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr.

Witt continued his white-hot play Monday by collecting four hits, including a lead flipping grand slam in the eighth inning, as the Royals defeated the White Sox 8-5 at Guaranteed Rate Field.

Witt raised his average to .347, best in the majors, by going four for five with the home run and a double.

During his 11-game hitting streak, Witt is batting an absurd .533 with nine extra-base hits and 12 RBIs.

Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. watches his grand slam soar into the Chicago night sky in the eighth inning of Monday’s game against the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field.
Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. watches his grand slam soar into the Chicago night sky in the eighth inning of Monday’s game against the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field.

The Royals (58-49) stayed a game ahead of Boston in the race for the third American League wild-card spot. The Red Sox beat the Mariners 14-7 and have a 56-49 record.

Electric eighth

The Royals trailed 5-2 with one out in the eighth inning when Hunter Renfroe and MJ Melendez hit consecutive home runs to right field against White Sox reliever Steven Wilson.

After an out, Maikel Garcia singled and John Brebbia came on in relief.

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez hits an RBI single against the Chicago White Sox during Monday night’s game at Guaranteed Rate Field.
Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez hits an RBI single against the Chicago White Sox during Monday night’s game at Guaranteed Rate Field.

Adam Frazier was hit by a pitch on the 10th offering from Brebbia. Michael Massey walked and Witt followed with his grand slam to left field, giving the Royals an 8-5 lead.

Mediocre Marsh

Royals general manager J.J. Picollo started Monday by making a trade for pitcher Michael Lorenzen, who could be added the bullpen or plugged into the rotation, as needed.

If it’s the latter, Lorenzen likely would replace right-hander Alec Marsh, who is in his first full season in the majors.

Marsh had a chance Monday night to lock down his spot in the rotation at Guaranteed Rate Field. He wasn’t awful, but he wasn’t sharp, either. He allowed two runs on six hits in 4 2/3 innings. He struck out three but also hit a pair of batters.

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Alec Marsh exited Monday night’s game against the Chicago White Sox during the fifth inning at Guaranteed Rate Field.
Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Alec Marsh exited Monday night’s game against the Chicago White Sox during the fifth inning at Guaranteed Rate Field.

The Royals’ bullpen, which had a 7.43 ERA over the previous four games, wobbled again, allowing three runs in 4 1/3 innings.

Marsh or Lorenzen might be able to help shore up the Royals’ relief corps. Or perhaps the team will make another deal ahead of Tuesday’s trade deadline.

Bullpen blip

After escaping a jam created by Marsh in the fifth inning that kept the game tied at two, reliever Angel Zerpa allowed consecutive doubles to start the sixth as Chicago took the lead.

After a strikeout, two singles brought home another run to give the White Sox a 4-2 edge.

Andrew Vaughn hit a home run an inning later to push the White Sox advantage to 5-2, but that merely set the stage for the Royals’ comeback.

Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. scores during the third inning of Monday night’s game against the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago.
Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. scores during the third inning of Monday night’s game against the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago.

Injury report

The Royals on Monday placed relief pitcher John Schreiber on the 15-day injured list because of a right knee patella tendon injury.

Fellow right-hander Will Klein was recalled from Triple-A Omaha.

Klein has appeared in five games this season with the Royals (6.35 ERA with six strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings). At Omaha, he had a 3.58 ERA in 34 appearances.

What’s next: The Royals will face the White Sox two more times in the Windy City. Michael Wacha will be on the mound Tuesday, facing Jonathan Cannon. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m.