KANSAS CITY -- Liam Hendriks did not want to hear about his team’s 8 1/2 game lead over the Indians in the American League Central following a 3-2 loss to the Royals in 10 innings Wednesday night at Kauffman Stadium.

The White Sox closer didn’t want to take a look at his team’s strong likelihood to make the playoffs in back-to-back years for the first time in franchise history. The right-hander was too frustrated by a blown save coming with one out in the ninth when Salvador Perez connected for a 438-foot home run on an 0-1 fastball coming inside but not inside enough at 98.4 mph.

It exited at 109.1 mph, and the distance marked the longest home run allowed by Hendriks since Statcast began tracking in 2015.

"He saw a first-pitch slider that he fouled off, so I felt comfortable going up with a fastball,” Hendriks said. “I didn't get it quite in enough, and this is why he was the All-Star starting catcher this year. The guy hits fastballs. The guy does a good job, but I trust my fastball to anybody.

“Today it didn't work out unfortunately. It just sucks because those guys spent nine, 10 innings out there in this heat, grinding it out to a point where I couldn't get my job done and it was just frustrating."

This walkoff loss, coming courtesy of Michael A. Taylor’s two-out single against Ryan Burr, marked a fourth setback in six games for the White Sox (60-42). They also lost designated hitter Eloy Jiménez in the eighth after just getting him back from a ruptured left pectoral tendon.

Gavin Sheets pinch-hit for Jiménez in the ninth, as Jiménez was removed for precautionary reasons with right groin tightness. This physical issue came less than 24 hours after his three-run game-winning home run on Tuesday, as manager Tony La Russa said Jiménez felt something running during his sixth-inning lineout to first baseman Ryan O’Hearn.

“[We] talked with [head athletic trainer] James [Kruk] and didn’t want to take any chances,” La Russa said. “We’ll see how he feels tomorrow.

“That’s what we’ve been concerned about. He’s come out and hit balls in the hole, he’s running and he’s playing defense. I hope it’s just some tightness we can treat and get rid of.”

Lucas Giolito's start was on the flip side of these White Sox problems, as he was masterful over six-plus innings. Giolito yielded one run on four hits while striking out seven and walking one among his 80 pitches. But the lone truly clean hit Giolito allowed came off the bat of Jorge Soler, whose sixth-inning line drive double came within inches of a game-tying two-run homer to left.

In his three starts since the All-Star break, Giolito has allowed three runs on 13 hits over 21 innings with 18 strikeouts.

“Just like I said, after the break, I wanted to come back more focused, a lot more focused on each individual pitch, staying in my rhythm and mentality,” said Giolito, who recorded 18 swings and misses and 12 on his slider, per Statcast. “I feel like I’m doing that. I feel like these three starts since the break have been a lot more myself. I’m executing a lot better.”

“We really pitched well,” La Russa said. “Made two mistakes and we had a really tough hitting day, but we pitched well. We got beat.”

Aaron Bummer protected a 2-1 lead in the seventh by entering with Soler on third and nobody out and stranding him there. Michael Kopech worked for a second straight night, marking his first back-to-back outings of the season. He threw a scoreless eighth on just 13 pitches, after throwing a scoreless eighth on 14 pitches Tuesday.

All definite positives, to go with their big division lead. But that lead was not in Hendriks’ Wednesday focus, nor is it really ever.

“I try not to look at the standings. It can only do harm,” Hendriks said. “It can only make you get complacent if you're up by a lot. It can only get you mad if you're down by a lot. It can only make you look over your shoulder.

“So no, we don't care about the standings. Right now it's just taking each game for each game, seeing how it goes. And if we handle our own business, it doesn't matter. That's all it takes.”