Garcia's walk-off hit lifts White Sox over KC in suspended game
A game that started Friday night at U.S. Cellular Field between the Royals and the White Sox finished Sunday afternoon with a 3-2 White Sox victory. The game was suspended after eight innings Friday due to unplayable field conditions following four innings of rain, and concluded with Avisail Garcia's walk-off single against Kelvin Herrera. Melky Cabrera drew a two-out walk, moved to second on a wild pitch and stayed there when Jose Abreu was intentionally walked.
White Sox closer David Robertson started the suspended portion of Sunday's two games since he was announced on Friday before the contest was suspended. He pitched a scoreless ninth, striking out the side, but had his stretch of 18 straight batters retired end on an Abreu error.
Video: KC@CWS: Robertson strikes out the side in the 9th
Jose Quintana and Danny Duffy were the respective starters for each team. It took three days and officially 3 hours, 19 minutes, but the White Sox were finally able to pick up their first victory in five tries against the Royals.
"We'll take that win," Robertson said. "Absolutely."
"There's another game so it's a little muted compared to just a normal game," White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. "You have another game and get ready for that one. It's nice."
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Sigh of relief: Abreu appeared to injury his right shoulder or wrist when he fell over Alcides Escobar during a rundown attempt following a Quintana pickoff in the third. Abreu was down on the ground briefly but appeared to only knock the wind out of himself and stayed in the game. He was back at first Sunday to pick up the suspended game.
Video: KC@CWS: Abreu shaken up during a reviewed play
Sigh of relief II: Clinging to a 2-1 lead with the rain starting to pick up in the bottom of the sixth, the Royals bullpen wiggled out of jam. With runners on first and second and one out, Franklin Morales worked out of trouble by getting Geovany Soto to fly out to center and Emilio Bonifacio to line out to left.
Video: KC@CWS: Morales gets Royals out of jam in the 6th
Streak is over: The Royals' bullpen entered with a scoreless streak of 28 innings, but that came to an abrupt end in the seventh when Adam Eaton hit a leadoff triple against Morales and then scored on a sacrifice fly by Cabrera, the next batter.
Video: KC@CWS: Cabrera lofts a sac fly to tie the game at 2
Nothing new: Quintana picked up his Major League high 41st no-decision since 2012 after his strong outing on Friday. The left-hander remains winless against the Royals, carrying an 0-6 record over 14 career starts.
Video: KC@CWS: Quintana fans five, holds Royals to two runs
QUOTABLE
"It's bizarre. Anytime you resume a game it's weird; it has a weird feeling. The guys who were even starting the game, I'm sure it's uncomfortable for them. For us, it's good to get a win, good to get it started like that." -- Ventura
LATE-INNING MACHINE
Robertson has fanned 15 of the 24 batters faced this season. More >
REPLAY REVIEW
Quintana picked off Escobar with one out in the third inning, but Escobar was ruled safe at second when he tried to beat Abreu to the base and Abreu tumbled over Escobar. The White Sox challenged the safe call, and it was overturned by video review for the second out of the inning.
Abreu reached with one out in the seventh on what was originally ruled a throwing error by Omar Infante, who took a while to throw the ball from second on the routine grounder and Eric Hosmer was pulled off the base. But the Royals challenged and the video review overturned the call for the inning's second out.
WHAT'S NEXT
Royals: Edinson Volquez is coming off a strong start in his last outing against the Twins on Monday when he allowed just one run in seven innings. The Sunday matinee will be the right-hander's first appearance at U.S. Cellular Field.
White Sox: John Danks, who starts Sunday's matinee, picked up the White Sox fifth quality start and gave the team a chance to make an improbable ninth inning comeback on Monday against Cleveland. Danks also tied Gary Peters for 15th place with 216 starts as part of the White Sox.
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