KC Royals sweep Chicago White Sox behind this career first from pitcher Seth Lugo

The Kansas City Royals have played 100 games this season. There have been several highlight moments and a few the club and its fans would like to forget.

On Sunday, the Royals earned a 2-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox at Kauffman Stadium. And they did it with the mix of fantastic pitching, small-ball and situational hitting that’s become their calling card this season.

After failing to decipher White Sox starter Drew Thorpe early, the Royals found a way to break through against the Chicago bullpen. KC tied the game at 1-1 in the seventh inning behind outfielder Kyle Isbel’s sacrifice bunt.

That run forced Thorpe to finish with a no-decision (more on that later) and provided Royals starting pitcher Seth Lugo a chance to remain on the mound all afternoon.

And Lugo turned in a truly masterful performance. The first-time All-Star allowed one run and three hits and registered five strikeouts in nine innings for the first complete game of his career.

The Royals’ starting pitchers surrendered just one run in 23 innings during this series sweep.

The White Sox were baffled early in the game. Chicago didn’t break through until the sixth inning, when outfielder Tommy Pham recorded an RBI single. Pham hit an 89.8 mph sinker that caught a little too much of the plate.

Lugo settled down, however, and calmly got outfielder Luis Robert Jr. out to end the inning two batters later.

Then, two innings later, the Royals grabbed their first lead. Outfielder Hunter Renfroe hit a go-ahead single and superstar Bobby Witt Jr. scored from third base.

The Royals tacked on two more runs in that eighth, with Maikel Garcia and Dairon Blanco collecting RBI singles.

The Royals improved to 55-45, one win shy of matching their win total from last season. The White Sox dropped to 27-74.

Missed previous games of the series?

Game 1: Royals begin second half with 7-1 victory over the White Sox

Game 2: Royals score early to secure series win against AL Central rivals

Here are more notable aspects of Sunday’s game:

Royals squander 6th inning scoring chance

The Royals struggled early against White Sox starter Drew Thorpe. He scattered three hits in six innings on Sunday afternoon.

Thorpe allowed a first-inning single to Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. From there, he cruised across the next four innings, allowing just two baserunners to reach.

The Royals had limited scoring opportunities. However, they also left a few chances out on the field.

In the sixth inning, KC left runners at the corners. Witt collected a one-out single and first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino followed suit. Still, Thorpe was able to escape further damage as he struck out Royals captain Salvador Perez and retired Renfroe to end the inning.

Thorpe finished with five strikeouts but earned a no-decision for his efforts.

Maikel Garcia produces highlight defensive play

Lugo could’ve let the sixth inning get away from him. However, he received some timely defense to help him escape without further damage.

Garcia made a backhanded stop near the third-base line and threw out Robert to end the threat. He showcased his arm strength as the baseball beat Robert by a step at the first base bag.

It was a critical play that allowed Lugo to keep pitching deeper and ultimately secure the complete game.

What’s next on the KC Royals’ schedule?

The Royals continue their nine-game homestand on Monday night. KC welcomes the Arizona Diamondbacks to Kauffman Stadium for a three-game midweek series.

Royals left-hander Cole Ragans draws the Monday start. He is 4-3 with a 3.49 ERA in 11 home starts. In that span, Ragans has registered six quality starts in his last seven outings.

The Diamondbacks will start right-hander Yilber Diaz, who is 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA this season.