Anderson’s 12th-inning homer leads White Sox past Royals
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Tim Anderson kept the White Sox in the game with his glove before he won it with his bat.
Anderson hit a two-run homer in the 12th inning, and Chicago beat the Kansas City Royals 4-2 on Wednesday night.
Anderson's blast off Burch Smith (1-5), the sixth Royals pitcher, landed just beyond the fence in left-center. It was his 19th homer this season.
"It was a good way to cap off the night," Anderson said. "I was looking fastball. The at-bat before that, they started me off with a slider. The first pitch was a fastball up, and I had a feeling that he would throw me another one. I was able to jump on it."
In the bottom of the 11th, Rosell Herrera lined out to Anderson at shortstop, and he threw to third to double off pinch-runner Brett Phillips.
"It's a bang-bang play," he said. "I guess (Phillips) didn't think I could jump. It was close, but it was a good play to get us out of the jam."
Juan Minaya (2-2) pitched two scoreless innings for the win. Hector Santiago, the eighth Chicago pitcher, picked up his second save in as many chances. Jose Rondon also homered for the White Sox, who snapped a seven-game skid, one game short of their season-worst losing streak.
"Tim put a good swing on it," manager Rick Renteria said. "All the guys in the dugout were hoping he would do something there, and he did.
"Both teams did a good job of protecting the strike zone and limiting the scoring."
Adalberto Mondesi tied a career high with four hits and drove in both of Kansas City's runs.
Both teams wasted plenty of scoring chances. The Royals had five runners retired on the bases, while the White Sox left seven men on base.
Royals starter Eric Skogland pitched five innings, allowing two runs on two hits, with two walks and two strikeouts. He made his first start since May 25 after a long stint on the disabled list with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament. He returned Sept. 4 and had pitched two scoreless innings in relief.
"(Skogland) threw the ball really, really well," Kansas City manager Ned Yost said. "Our pitching did a great job. ... We just couldn't find ways."
Carlos Rodon pitched six innings, allowing two runs on five hits.
"My command wasn't great today," Rodon said. "The defense turned some nice double plays, I got through six and the boys got the win."
Whit Merrifield stole two bases to bring his season total to 35, a new career high. He led the AL with 34 swipes last season and tops the league again this year.
After Merrifield stole second in the third inning, Mondesi drove him in with a single for the game's first run. Mondesi stole his 22nd base, his 17th since the All-Star break.
The White Sox answered with two runs in the fourth on Rondon's homer to left, scoring Avisail Garcia, who reached on a two-out walk.
The Royals tied it in the fifth but had a chance for a bigger inning. Ryan O'Hearn reached on a one-out walk, and Merrifield followed with a double to the wall in left center. But O'Hearn went too far around third and was picked off. Merrifield then stole third and scored on Mondesi's second RBI single.
The White Sox had runners on second and third with one out in the seventh, and then loaded the bases with two outs. But Glenn Sparkman induced a fielder's-choice grounder from Anderson to end the inning.
The Royals loaded the bases in the seventh as well but did not score.
TRAINER'S ROOM
White Sox: INF Matt Davidson remains out of the lineup with what Renteria called sore knees. "Maybe these next four days are just giving him that time to recover," Renteria said. ... 3B Yoan Moncada was out of the lineup. "He's a little sore in the hip," Renteria said. "Today and a natural day off tomorrow, maybe that will help him."
Royals: INF Hunter Dozier was scratched with a sore back. "It's nothing serious," Dozier said before the game. "It's just a little back tightness. It's kind of built up and I woke up this morning pretty sore. I could have played, probably, but they decided to give me one day. I'll be 100 percent tomorrow."
UP NEXT
White Sox: RHP James Shields (6-16, 4.58 ERA) goes in Baltimore on Friday.
Royals: RHP Heath Fillmyer (2-1, 4.75) will face Twins LHP Stephen Gonsalves (0-2, 11.68) on Thursday. It will be Fillmyer's second consecutive start against the Twins. He took a no-decision in a 10-6 loss in Minneapolis last Friday, allowing six runs on six hits in 2 1/3 innings.