The White Sox won their fifth straight, beating the Royals 6-2 and moving above .500 for the first time since late 2022, with Randal Grichuk leading the way.
Five straight wins. a 6-2 victory over the Royals. and a lineup that is suddenly finding extra-base damage at exactly the right time.. The White Sox moved above .500 for the first time in more than a month of baseball. improving to 22-21 after reaching that mark for the first time since the penultimate game of the 2022 season. when they were 81-80.
Slugger Munetaka Murakami did not homer or drive in a run across any of the Sox’ streak, leaving him in a 2-for-18 stretch that includes six walks. But the production has been coming from elsewhere, and against Kansas City on Thursday, it was Randal Grichuk who made the biggest statements.
Grichuk finished 2-for-3 with four RBIs, starting with a two-run homer in the first inning that erased a 1-0 Royals lead. He followed that up in the third when he faced Royals left-hander Kris Bubic with the bases loaded, delivering a two-run single to center.
It marked Grichuk’s third home run in eight games since joining the White Sox, a 13-year veteran the team signed on May 4. Manager Will Venable said the impact has been felt most against left-handed pitching.
“He can really do damage against lefties,” Venable said. “It’s nice to be able to go find that midseason. He’s been doing it for a long time. We were really excited to be able to get him when [outfielder Austin] Hays went down. For us to grab that guy, it’s huge.”
Grichuk, for his part, framed it as more than a hot streak. With two outs in the first, Bubic walked Murakami, setting the stage for Grichuk. Later, after the game, Grichuk pointed to consistency in his approach.
“I know I’ve hit well against lefties, and that’s something I haven’t wavered from,” he said. “The results might not [always] be there, but the at-bats and the barrels are still there. So I go in with confidence knowing that that’s what I’m here for, and hopefully the results [follow].”
On the mound, Anthony Kay gave Chicago a boost in his rhythm and his workload. The left-hander threw a career-high six innings for his first quality start in 14 career starts before Kyle Isbel’s triple with one batter into the seventh ended Kay’s night.
The White Sox then turned to their bullpen with precision. After using right-hander Tyler Davis for six batters and left-hander Sean Newcomb for four on Wednesday, Venable returned to that plan. Davis completed the seventh, and Newcomb closed things out for his first save of the season.
Chicago now heads into a nine-game homestand with the Cubs next on the schedule. It will be a stretch of games expected to lift the atmosphere at Guaranteed Rate Field, and Grichuk said he is looking forward to the matchup.
“I love playing against the Cubs,” Grichuk said. “They have a great fan base. They bring the energy. Hopefully, our fans come out and yell for us. Those are always fun games.”
The feeling in the dugout is clear: even with Murakami still looking for his next big moment, the White Sox have found ways to win long enough to finally cross back above .500, and now they’ll try to build on it in Chicago’s own backyard against their next opponent.
White Sox Royals Randal Grichuk Munetaka Murakami Anthony Kay MLB
wait they actually won lol
ok but Murakami hasnt done anything since they signed him right?? like i feel like every article its the same thing, 2 for whatever with walks, thats not what they paid for honestly. glad someone else is stepping up i guess but still.
i thought Grichuk retired like years ago wasnt he with the Cardinals or something, i remember him being pretty good back then but that was forever ago. kinda wild they just picked him up in May and hes already doing this, makes you wonder why nobody else grabbed him first. probably because everyone thought he was done. sometimes these older guys just need a new team i think thats what happened with him. good for him honestly.
this whole article is basically saying the White Sox are good now and i just dont buy it, they been bad for like 3 years straight and now 5 wins in a row and everyone acts like they won the World Series. the Royals arent even that good this year so beating them dont really count the same way. i remember back in 2022 people were saying the same thing and then they just fell apart again. .500 is not something to celebrate when your a team with their payroll and history, my uncle played baseball in highschool and even he says .500 means your basically average and average aint good enough. not trying to be negative but lets see where they are in August before we start getting excited about Randal Grichuk of all people saving the season.