Maikel García hit a tiebreaking single in the seventh inning after Kansas City wasted a nine-run lead, and the Royals hung on to beat the Chicago White Sox 11-10 on Tuesday night for a doubleheader split.
Chicago took the opener 6-2 as Dylan Cease won consecutive decisions for just the third time and the White Sox ended a strange run of losses when their pitchers struck out 14 or more – Chicago had been 0-11 this year.
Kansas City, a major league-worst 45-101, has lost at least 100 games for the third time in six seasons and with 16 games left could break the team record of 106, set in 2005. The Royals had not lost when leading by nine runs since a 15-13 defeat to Cleveland on Aug. 23, 2006, when Kansas City led 10-1 after the first inning.
Logan Porter capped a four-run first inning with an RBI single in the second game, Michael Massey hit a three-run homer in a four-run second and Salvador Perez hit his second RBI single of the game in the third as the Royals built a 9-0 lead.
Eloy Jiménez started Chicago’s comeback with a fifth-inning homer against Jordan Lyles, and Gavin Sheets hit a three-run double off Taylor Clarke (3-5) in an eight-run sixth, then tied the score 9-9 when he scored on Lenyn Sosa’s sacrifice fly.
García put the Royals back in from 10-9 with his since off Deivi García (0-1), who made his White Sox debut after he was claimed off waivers from the New York Yankees. Bobby Witt Jr. added a sacrifice fly in the ninth against Michael Kopech.
Luis Robert hit into a run-scoring forceout in the ninth against Carlos Hernández, who got his fourth save in nine chances when Jiménez hit into a game-ending forceout.
White Sox starter Touki Toussaint gave up eight runs, matching a career high, and six hits while throwing 46 pitches and getting just three outs. Lyles, whose 16 losses top the major leagues, allowed seven runs and seven hits in five innings.
Cease (7-7) allowed one run and four hits in 5 1/3 innings with eight strikeouts and one walk. Bryan Shaw struck out three over 1 2/3 innings, Lane Ramsey one and Gregory Santos two in a perfect ninth for his fifth save in nine chances.
Cease’s only other consecutive winning decisions this year were April 5 and 10, and May 23 and July 16 – with eight no-decisions in between.
Chicago took a 5-0 lead in the first against Brady Singer (8-11), who dropped to 0-3 in his last four starts. In a 36-pitch inning, Jiménez and Yoán Moncada hit RBI singles, Sheets had a two-run single and Elvis Andrus grounded into a run-scoring forceout.