Royals Blank Sox 5-0
CHICAGO (AP) — Jorge Bonifacio homered for the first time since he was suspended for testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance, and the Kansas City Royals beat the Chicago White Sox 5-0 on Saturday for just their second win in July.
Bonifacio hit a drive into the home bullpen in left after Whit Merrifield led off the game with a single.
He also drove in Paulo Orlando with a triple to left-center in the fifth, providing more than enough support for Danny Duffy in the left-hander's second straight scoreless outing.
The 25-year-old Bonifacio broke into the majors last year, hitting 17 homers in 113 games for Kansas City. But he missed the first part of this season after a positive test for Boldenone, resulting in an 80-game suspension.
Duffy (5-8) struck out eight while pitching seven innings of four-hit ball. He tossed six scoreless innings at Minnesota on Monday night, but left with a no-decision after the Twins rallied for a 3-1 win.
Such is life with the last-place Royals (27-67), who have just five wins in their last 29 games.
The White Sox (32-62) lost for the seventh time in nine games.
Reynaldo Lopez allowed five runs and nine hits in 7 2/3 innings in his first start since his wife, Jhilaris, gave birth to a baby girl named Zoe on Friday.
Manager Rick Renteria said Lopez texted him on Friday to let him know the baby was on the way and he still wanted to pitch.
"I said, 'OK, make sure everything's OK.' He says, 'I'll be ready to start,'" Renteria said. "And it was as simple as that."
Lopez (4-7) kept Chicago in the game before surrendering a two-run homer to All-Star Salvador Perez on a 0-2 pitch in the eighth. It was Perez's 13th of the season.
The White Sox also lost second baseman Yoan Moncada to a bruised right knee in the fifth.
It looked as if Moncada banged knees with the Orlando while going to catch a pickoff attempt at second.
The 23-year-old Moncada had to be helped off the field. X-rays were negative, and the team said he is day to day.
IMPRESSIVE STUFF
White Sox third baseman Yolmer Sanchez made a terrific over-the-shoulder grab on Alex Gordon's foul popup in the second inning. Gordon got a measure of revenge in the seventh, making a nice lunging catch to take a potential hit away from Tim Anderson.
REMEMBER THE TIME
The White Sox paid tribute to their 1993 AL West championship team all day long.
Led by AL MVP Frank Thomas, the White Sox won 94 games that season before losing to Toronto in the AL championship series.
Bo Jackson, Ozzie Guillen, 1993 AL Cy Young Award winner Jack McDowell and Hall of Famers Tim Raines and Thomas were among the players introduced during a pregame ceremony.
McDowell threw a ceremonial first pitch to Guillen, and the team showed highlights from that season on their center-field videoboard during the game.
"It was the most talented team I was ever on," Thomas said. "I thought we should have won it that year. We fell a little short."
TRAINER'S ROOM
Royals: Manager Ned Yost said RHP Jakob Junis (back tightness) will start the team's second game after the All-Star break next Saturday against Minnesota. "When we get back, we're going to have to make a move," Yost said. "I don't want to have to rush in, make a move. I want him to get settled, make everything's good with him and then he'll start the second game."
White Sox: RHP Nate Jones (strained forearm muscle) threw live batting practice. He also threw live BP on Wednesday.
UP NEXT
The White Sox send Lucas Giolito to the mound for the series finale Sunday afternoon.
The Royals are planning a bullpen day, beginning with right-hander Burch Smith. Giolito (5-8, 6.59 ERA) is coming off perhaps his best outing of the season, limiting the World Series champion Astros to two runs in a career-long 7 1/3 innings in a 2-1 loss last Sunday.
Smith (0-0, 5.83 ERA) just made his first start of the year Wednesday at Minnesota, throwing 71 pitches over 3 1/3 innings in an 8-5 loss.
"Tentatively we're kind of leaning that way, yeah. Let him go ahead and start it off, 50 to 60 pitches somewhere in there just to monitor how he's feeling and kind of go from there," Yost said.
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