KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Whenever things are bad, they can always get worse. Don’t the 13-26 White Sox know it.
Urgently needing to take a series against the worst team in the AL Central and avoid falling further behind division leader Minnesota, the Sox lost 4-3 to the Royals on catcher Freddy Fermin’s squeeze bunt in front of Reynaldo Lopez Thursday, scoring Nick Pratto and giving the Royas their third win of the four-game series. The result pulled last-place Kansas City (12-27) within a game of the Sox in the standings.
On a wet and dreary afternoon that saw the start of the game delayed one hour, the Sox also lost catcher Yasmani Grandal, who exited in the fourth inning with right hamstring tightness.
Manager Pedro Grifol was not pleased, saying his team “got outplayed” and “lacked urgency” against the team he coached for before getting hired in the offseason.
“Disappointed at times with lack of urgency? Absolutely. I am,” Grifol said. “That starts with me. So, we gotta be better. We gotta be better as a staff. We gotta be better as a ballclub. We have to take advantage of situations like this.”
Mike Clevinger pitched six innings, allowing three runs on three hits. He walked two and struck out two.
Brady Singer, who entered with an 8.82 ERA, held the Sox to one run on five hits in six innings. Luis Robert Jr. hit a tying, two-run double in the eighth against Aroldis Chapman.
“Definitely a tough loss,” Robert said through a translator. “When you are behind and come back as we did, you’re hoping to get something going.”
But Lopez walked Pratto leading off the ninth, then gave up a one-out single to Matt Duffy before Fermin put down the winning bunt.
The Sox had won series before Kansas City against the Twins and Reds. This was their fourth walk-off loss of the year.
“We had some momentum coming in and we got outplayed,” Grifol said.
NOTES: Third baseman Yoan Moncada is expected to be reinstated from the injured list (back) for Friday’s game against the Astros.
*Liam Hendriks was scheduled to make his fourth relief appearance on his rehab assignment with Triple-A Charlotte Thursday, staying on course to be reinstated as soon as Tuesday.
On deck
ASTROS AT SOX
Friday: J.P. France (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. Michael Kopech (1-3, 5.97), 7:10 p.m., NBCSCH, 1000-AM
Saturday: Brandon Bielak (0-1, 4.15) vs. Dylan Cease (2-2, 5.58), 6:15 p.m., FOX, 1000-AM
Sunday: Hunter Brown (3-1, 3.23) vs. Lucas Giolito (2-2, 3.59), 1:10 p.m., NBCSCH, 1000-AM
