Royals 6, White Sox 2: Bullpen meltdown costs Sox a chance to snap Kauffman skid

For the first six innings of Sunday’s game, it looked like the Chicago White Sox were finally going to find a way to win at Kauffman Stadium. But history repeated itself, the White Sox bullpen melted down in the seventh and eighth innings, and the losing streak at Kauffman Stadium extended to 14 games as the White Sox lost to the Royals, 6-2. 

From a positive perspective, Davis Martin was excellent today against the Royals. Over six innings, Martin only had four strikeouts with three walks, but he kept the Royals to just one hit. That base knock came in the sixth inning when Mike Yastrzemski broke up the no-hitter with a double. Martin leaned on his changeup, throwing that pitch the most often, followed by his four-seamer. There was a minimal velocity split as usual, but it still kept the Royals from barreling Martin’s fastball, averaging an exit velocity of just 81.5 mph. 

So while Martin did his job and should have earned the victory, it was a bad day for the White Sox bullpen. Steven Wilson took on the seventh inning and allowed a two-run homer to Jonathan India, tying the game, 2-2. Manager Will Venable went to Grant Taylor to finish the seventh inning and start the eighth. With two outs, Bobby Witt Jr. swiped second base to set up Maikel Garcia’s RBI single to right field. That gave the Royals their first lead of the game. 

Then the bottom fell out on Taylor. A throwing error on a pick-off attempt allowed Garcia to move up to second base, and he scored easily when Salvador Perez hit a long single as his deep fly hit the center field wall. Perez thought it was a home run out of the box, but regardless, the Royals had a two-run lead. Venable went back to the pen, replacing Taylor with Jordan Leasure to face Adam Frazier. That move didn’t pay off, as Frazier blasted a two-run homer into the right field bullpen. Suddenly, the Royals had a commanding four-run lead. 

Offensively for the White Sox, it still wasn’t much to gloat about. Lenyn Sosa belted his 16th home run of the season in the first inning. In the sixth inning, Andrew Benintendi reached on a fielding error made by Frazier, and later scored on Edgar Quero’s single to left field. 

Speaking of Quero, he got thrown out at home on a fantastic relay by the Royals. In the second inning with Quero on first base, Chase Meidroth hit a medium-ish fly into right field. Yastzemski made a diving attempt but fell short of making the catch. The race was on as White Sox third base coach Justin Jirschle waved Quero home. India cut off Yastrzemski’s toss from right field and made a perfect throw at home plate to nail Quero in time. 

That play pretty much sums up how the weekend went in Kansas City for the White Sox. Even when they think the ball is bouncing in their favor, the Royals keep finding a way to spoil the party. The good news is that the White Sox will not be playing in Kansas City again this season. The bad news is that the losing streak at Kauffman Stadium will continue into the 2026 season.

Game Notes

• Edgar Quero went 2-for-4.
• Lenyn Sosa now has 16 home runs and 50 RBI.
• Brooks Baldwin is starting to heat up at the plate. He went 3-for-4 with a double. In his last 30 games, Baldwin is hitting .259/.310/.457. 

Record: 44-80 | Box Score | StatCast