KANSAS CITY – The numbers 3-1-2 represent a prominent area code in the heart of Chicago.

They also stand for the run total produced by the White Sox in the last three games of this five-game set against the Royals at Kauffman Stadium. That final figure came during a 6-2 loss Wednesday night, dropping the White Sox back below .500 at 18-19 and moving them 3 1/2 games behind the Twins in the American League Central.

It’s an offense missing a key piece in Eloy Jiménez, who is potentially a couple weeks away from a Minor League injury rehab assignment. It’s also a group not getting offense from its main components who have come through so many times and seasons previously.

So, how does this issue get fixed before a season with thoughts of winning a World Series title gets dashed before it really gets going? It’s a work in progress, per manager Tony La Russa, who met with hitting coach Frank Menechino and assistant hitting coach Howie Clark in his office after their team’s second straight loss to the Royals.

“Here's the problem, I'm not giving a scouting report to the other side or our next opponent by identifying what we're struggling with. But we can recognize it,” La Russa said. “That's why we had a few minutes. Frankie and Howie were in here, talking about it.

“You don't ever give in on it. We're capable of better and we expect it. The fact is, though, that we've got to get out of this rut offensively. We're working on it, hitter by hitter."

Getting hits was not the problem Wednesday for the White Sox, who knocked out 10 against the first four Royals pitchers. Tim Anderson, who has now hit in 23 of his 32 games this season, finished with three for his ninth multihit effort in his last 17 games and his 15th multihit result this season, matching the Rockies’ C.J. Cron for the Major League lead. Anderson also has 47 three-hit games since 2019, which is tops in the Majors.

In those previous 46 three-hit games for Anderson, the White Sox had a 33-13 mark. But a 3-for-13 night with runners in scoring position Wednesday left nine men stranded and dropped the White Sox to 6-12 in the division.

Those sorts of struggles make it tougher on the pitchers to get through a mistake or two. But La Russa wasn’t buying that theory postgame.

“It's not acceptable if the offense is struggling, for the pitchers to say, 'Hey, get some runs,'” La Russa said. “What's acceptable is if the offense is trying their best.

“If that's where we are, then we keep working at it. And if you see something that you think is not our best, then you fix it. Same thing as the pitching. You just can't look at results and say, 'Oh, why don't you get somebody out?' or 'Why don't you guys get some hits?' That's not how we handle it.”

Lucas Giolito started for the White Sox in his first trip to the mound since coming off the COVID-19 IL. La Russa saw a little rust from Giolito in the early going, but he got back on track in his middle innings and allowed two runs on seven hits over five innings with seven strikeouts.

“Got into a much better rhythm as the game went on. Third, fourth, fifth inning,” Giolito said. “Just relaxed and trusted rather than trying to do more like the first two innings. Got clipped in the third inning on a lazy breaking ball, but other than that, I was much more pleased with the last three than the first two.

“[I’m] very routine oriented, so I’m just happy to get back into a good swing of things and get my daily work in, normal. But a little bit of a bad taste in my mouth for not making the adjustments sooner. I feel like it’s an adjustment I’ve made before, an adjustment I can make in the first inning and will be able to go six strong as opposed to five.”

Giolito gave the White Sox a chance to win. But in a familiar storyline of 2022 frustration, the White Sox offense couldn’t finish.

“We have the group of guys to have a good run,” said White Sox first baseman José Abreu, who finished 1-for-4 with a run scored and is now hitting .212. “We have talent, veteran guys, young guys. We all know what we need to do in order to perform the way we want.

“It’s just on us to work hard every day and do what we know we can do. Everybody knows that we are trying our best to win games.”