KC Royals Series Preview: Big changes in Chicago

(Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)
(Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)
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(Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports)
(Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports) /

The KC Royals open a series with Chicago today. The White Sox have changed.

The KC Royals face a team with unfinished business on its mind when they help the Chicago White Sox open their home season this afternoon. Game time for the first of a three-tilt set is 3:10 p.m. CDT at Guaranteed Rate Field.

After some retooling, Chicago entered last season with what may have been the best team in the American League Central. The Sox spent much of the season in first place and became the first AL team to clinch a playoff spot. But they lost seven of their last eight games to blow the Division lead and took an early Wild Card round exit from the postseason.

Change began less than two weeks later. Popular manager Rick Renteria and veteran pitching coach Don Cooper were out and, before October ended, owner Jerry Reinsdorf brought back Tony La Russa, who managed the Sox from 1979-86 (Reinsdorf fired him) to lead his club again.

The move was unexpected yet understandable. Owner and manager are longtime friends and La Russa is a Hall of Fame manager who’s won three World Series titles and six league pennants. His 2,730 career wins rank third all-time.

Nevertheless, critics abound. The rap on La Russa, 76, is that he’s too old for the job, won’t be able to “relate” to and control young players, and has been away from the game too long (he retired after winning the 2011 World Series with St. Louis).

But don’t sell La Russa short. He held significant post-retirement executive positions with the Diamondbacks, Red Sox, Angels, and Major League Baseball, so he hasn’t lost touch. And despite the age gap and their skipper’s no-nonsense baseball ways, his players will perform for him—these are professional athletes who’ll welcome La Russa’s advanced knowledge, experience and savvy. He knows how to win.

La Russa is too good not to make a difference. But will his new team be as good as the one that beat the Royals nine times out of 10 in 2020?

(Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports)
(Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports) /

The KC Royals will face new and old faces and an offense hit by injuries.

So, what to do with a team that deprived itself of a division title with a late September implosion, and whose pitchers gave up almost seven runs per game in losing seven of the club’s final eight?

Improve the pitching, of course, and that’s what the White Sox believe they did.

First, they picked up veteran starter Lance Lynn in a trade with the Rangers. Lynn may be 33 (34 in May), but he went 6-3 with a 3.32 ERA for major league’s worst team last season and won 16 for Texas in 2019. He pitched 4.2 scoreless innings and struck out six in a no-decision start against Los Angeles Saturday, and will face KC’s Brad Keller today.

Then Chicago lured top closer Liam Hendriks to the South Side with a three-year, $54 million deal. A former Royal, Hendriks saved 14 games for Oakland in 2020 and 25 the season before. He has one save so far and has given up two runs in 2.1 innings.

Lynn and Hendriks complement a staff including returnees Lucas Giolito and Dallas Keuchel. Giolito was 4-3 last season with a no-hitter, and 14-9 in 2019. He owns the Royals—he’s won seven of nine career decisions against them with a 2.88 ERA. Keuchel had an excellent 6-2, 1.99 2020 campaign and is also stingy when it comes to KC (6-1, 2.48 in 11 games). Fortunately, Kansas City will probably miss Giolito and Keuchel this series.

Who else is new to Chicago, and who did the ChiSox lose over the winter?

Outfielder Adam Eaton returns to the Sox after four years in Washington. A veteran of 10 big league seasons, Eaton played in Chicago from 2014-20, and has six starts in right field this year. He’s a career .282 hitter with a bit of pop, and twice tied for the AL triples lead.

Other notables new to the White Sox are outfielder and ex-Royal Billy Hamilton and infielder Jake Lamb.

Related Story. Ex-Royals make Opening Day rosters. light

Among Chicago’s non-returnees are hard-to-replace veteran slugger Edwin Encarnacion, starter Dane Dunning (traded to Texas for Lynn), outfielder Nomar Mazara, catcher James McCann, and pitcher Gio Gonzalez. The Sox will miss most of them.

What kind of offense can Chicago generate against the KC Royals?

Offense for the White Sox begins, of course, with first baseman Jose Abreu, last year’s AL MVP and a three-time All-Star who owns three Silver Sluggers and a Rookie of the Year award. Unaffected by last season’s brevity, he slugged 19 homers, led the majors with 60 RBIs and slashed .317/.370/.618.

Then there’s outfielder Luis Robert, a 2020 Rookie of the Year frontrunner until a disastrous September (.136 with one homer) derailed his chances. He still finished with 11 home runs and 31 RBIs and won a Gold Glove. And third baseman Yoan Moncada hit 25 homers in 2019.

Injuries to two key bats have weakened Chicago’s offense. Outfielder Eloy Jiminez clubbed 45 homers and drove in 120 runs in his first two seasons with the Sox, but will miss several months with a ruptured left pectoral tendon. Shortstop Tim Anderson, a power hitter who hits for average and gets on base, is on the Injured List with a strained hamstring and won’t play against the Royals. He homered 10 times, drove in 21 runs, and hit .322 with a .357 OBP last season.

The Sox are averaging six runs per game.

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(Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports) /

Who can we expect Tony La Russa to play against the KC Royals?

Tony La Russa is a master of lineup construction. He’ll pick his batting order against Kansas City this week from among these probable starters:

C: Yasmani Grandal (.235/.435/.471, 1 HR, 6 RBI)

1B: Jose Abreu (.207/.294/.414, 2 HR, 9 RBI)

2B: Nick Madrigal (.238/.360/.286, 0 HR, 0 RBI)

SS: Danny Mendick (.333/.500/.333, 0 HR, 1 RBI)

3B: Yoan Moncada (.182/.357/.227, 0 HR, 0 RBI)

LF: Andrew Vaughn (.154/.353/.231, 0 HR, 1 RBI)

CF: Luis Robert (.286/.355/.464, 1 HR, 3 RBI)

RF: Adam Eaton (.208/.345/.333, 1 HR, 3 RBI)

DH: Yermin Mercedes (.565, .583/.826, 1 HR, 6 RBI)

La Russa might sit righty Madrigal and start switch hitter Leury Garcia at shortstop against righthanded KC starter Brad Keller.

The White Sox closed out their season-starting road trip with an 8-4 loss to Seattle Wednesday. They led 4-1 after scoring a run in the sixth inning, but the Mariners sent 11 men to the plate in their half of the inning and scored seven runs on six hits to take the lead. Seattle did most of the damage against Sox reliever Matt Foster, who was charged with five of those seven runs.

The Royals and White Sox will take Friday off unless weather wipes out this afternoon’s contest. They’ll play Saturday and Sunday, with both games scheduled for 1:10 p.m. CDT starts. As of late Wednesday night, Kansas City manager Mike Matheny hadn’t publicly announced his starting pitchers; expect Chicago to go with righthander Dylan Cease Saturday and lefty Carlos Rodon Sunday. Through Wednesday, Cease is 0-0 and in one game, while Rodon is 1-0 after holding Seattle scoreless for five innings Monday in his only start.

The Royals, 3-2 after losing to Cleveland Wednesday, trail first-place Minnesota by a half-game in the Central. The White Sox, 3-4, are in fourth, 1.5 games back.

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Can the KC Royals improve on last season’s 1-9 record against the White Sox? We’ll begin to find out today.

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