Inside Royals' roller-coaster split of twin bill vs. White Sox

CHICAGO -- The win probability chart for Game 2 of the Royals’ straight doubleheader against the White Sox had a drop that rivaled the steepest roller coaster at Worlds of Fun.

The White Sox nine-run comeback to tie the game in the sixth inning probably made a few stomachs drop, too.

But the end of the ride featured all smiles on the Royals’ side at Guaranteed Rate Field after their 11-10 win Tuesday night.

“That’s a baseball game right there,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “I mean, you never know. … Give our guys credit because when [Chicago] tied it up there, that’s a really demoralizing inning. For us to bounce right back … that’s a lot for them to do.”

Here are four takeaways from the doubleheader split:

Garcia breaks through in Game 2
Third baseman Maikel Garcia hadn’t gotten a hit in his last 20 at-bats when he stepped to the plate for the first pitch of Game 2 against Chicago, but he quickly got back on track with a 3-for-5 night with a walk -- including the go-ahead RBI in the seventh off reliever Deivi García.

“We’re just trying to get on base so guys can get RBIs,” Garcia said. “That pitcher wasn’t throwing a lot of strikes, so we had to take the pitches. And then I got one to hit.”

Garcia’s single in the first inning began the Royals’ offensive outburst against White Sox starter Touki Toussaint, who allowed eight runs in one-plus innings.

“We’ve asked a lot of [Garcia],” Quatraro said. “He’s leading off as a rookie, getting that extra at-bat every night, playing really good defense, and he’s really responded.”

Lyles perfect until he wasn’t
Through four innings in Game 2, Royals starter Jordan Lyles was perfect. Then Eloy Jiménez hit a first-pitch homer to begin the bottom of the fifth inning.

The White Sox followed that up with six earned runs against Lyles in the sixth.

It was a brutal collapse for Lyles, who has the worst ERA (6.44) among qualified starters this season. Chicago tied the game off reliever Taylor Clarke, who had to warm up quickly once the White Sox strung together six consecutive hits to begin the frame.

“There were maybe two mistakes,” Lyles said. “We got to where we wanted to go, and they were just better in that moment. Obviously, it was tough. Could have been a lot worse without a team win.”

Lyles has allowed at least three runs in a single frame in 15 of his 28 starts (15 instances) this season.

Singer’s velo drop not injury-related
The big inning in the Royals’ 6-2 loss in Game 1 on Tuesday came quickly for Royals starter Brady Singer, who allowed five runs in the first inning and six total in 5 1/3 innings.

Lack of command on Singer’s sinker was a culprit again against the White Sox -- even though he said he felt better with the pitch than in previous starts. At one point in the first inning, Singer threw nine consecutive balls, eight of which were sinkers.

More concerning, though, is the velocity drop Singer has been experiencing. His sinker was down 1.4 mph against Chicago. This comes two starts after the Royals skipped Singer in the rotation because of arm fatigue.

But he and Quatraro maintain Singer feels physically fine.

“I don’t know why it’s down,” Singer said. “If I knew, I’d obviously fix it. I’d like to obviously have it back. I’m not sure. I really don’t have any answers for you.”

Quatraro added: “I really do believe it’s similar to the last time when he was cutting some balls and not getting through them as much. It could possibly be because of this time of year, but there’s no injury concern.”

Porter has memorable debut
Not only did catcher Logan Porter make his big league debut in Game 2, but he also endured one of the wildest games of the season.

Porter immediately made an impact when he lined his first big league hit up the middle in the first inning for a two-run single. He went 2-for-4 and was hit by a pitch, all while trying to get the Royals pitchers through a crazy game.

“We’re talking about the ups and downs of that game when you’re catching in your first Major League game -- he did a good job of blocking and receiving,” Quatraro said. “He put a lot of pressure on the umpire with receiving every pitch well. He didn’t take one pitch off.”

It still hasn’t sunk in for Porter, 28, that he’s made it to the Major Leagues. After working as a clubhouse attendant for the Royals’ Arizona Rookie-level team in Surprise, Ariz., while in high school, Porter was undrafted out of college but got a shot to play with the Royals. Five years later, he got the call to the big leagues.

“I thought the nerves were going to be a little bit higher,” Porter said. “I was actually very calm, which was surprising. … It’s just surreal. I wish I could put it into words. I don’t even know. I’ll remember this forever.”