White Sox Pound Kansas City Royals, 10-1
CHICAGO (AP) — Daniel Palka and Yoan Moncada each homered and Lucas Giolito tossed two-hit ball into the seventh inning, lifting the Chicago White Sox to a 10-1 victory over the struggling Kansas City Royals on Sunday.
Moncada was 3 for 3 with a walk and three runs scored a day after leaving a game with a bruised right knee. Palka also had three hits and two RBIs while Tim Anderson and Kevan Smith each hit a two-run double as Chicago pounded out 13 hits.
Adalberto Mondesi homered leading off the eighth for the Royals, who are 2-11 in July.
In the final game before the All-Star break, Kansas City decided to go with a bullpen day. The relievers were no match for Giolito (6-8). The right-hander allowed just two hits in 6 1/3 innings, striking out six and walking three.
After Giolito worked out of his only jam in the top of the first with an assist from the defense — Jorge Bonifacio was thrown out trying to score from second on a single to left with one out — Palka's two-run blast off starter Burch Smith (0-1) gave the White Sox a 2-0 lead.
The lead grew to 4-0 in the third as Abreu scored on a wild pitch and Leury Garcia followed with an RBI single against left-hander Brian Flynn. Chicago then broke the game open with a five-run fifth against left-hander Enny Romero. Moncada, who was hit in the knee by a pick-off throw on Saturday, started things with a lead-off homer. Anderson and Smith each had a two-run double to make it 9-0.
Moncada doubled and scored in the sixth to make 10-0 before Mondesi's homer off Jeanmar Gomez broke the shutout.