Lopez, Moncada power White Sox to third straight win
The White Sox entered Tuesday night's game against the Royals playing their best baseball of the young season, prompting red-hot shortstop Tim Anderson to say: "I think we're just obsessed with getting better."
Taking the mound for his fourth start of the season, Sox right-hander Reynaldo Lopez certainly had plenty of room to improve after going 0-2 with a 12.15 ERA in his first 3 starts.
"Staying behind the ball," manager Rick Renteria said when asked what's been wrong with Lopez early. "Commanding his fastball so he can use his secondary pitches a little more effectively. Staying down in the zone and trusting himself. He presses a little bit sometimes."
In the Sox's 5-1 win over Kansas City at Guaranteed Rate Field, it sure looked like Lopez was pressing again in the first inning.
The Royals had two runners on with two outs, but Lopez kept his composure and struck out Jorge Soler to escape the early trouble.
He did hang a slider to Lucas Duda leading off the second inning, and it was promptly deposited in the right-field bleachers.
But other than the solo home run, it was a needed good night for Lopez.
"I think he was attacking the strike zone a lot better," Renteria said. "He was definitely working with his best velocity from the beginning, concentrating on driving through and hitting his spots. He did a nice job."
Lopez regrouped after the early bumps and wound up pitching 6 innings, allowing the 1 run on 5 hits and 2 walks. He also had 5 strikeouts while throwing 104 pitches.
"He's not afraid to pitch," catcher Welington Castillo said. "I don't worry about him because I know him. I know what he can do. He just needs one good start and that's it."
Lopez got it, and he got the win with the aid of another big offensive effort from Yoan Moncada.
In the third inning, Moncada pulled the White Sox into a tie with a home run off K.C. starter Jorge Lopez.
Leury Garcia put the Sox in front with a 2-run homer in the fifth inning, and Moncada followed with another solo shot.
Yonder Alonso (4-for-4) added a solo home run in the eighth as the White Sox (7-9) won their third straight game.
Moncada went 2-for-4 to raise his batting average to .333. The third baseman leads the Sox in home runs (5) and RBI (16).
"I'm attacking early in the count and it's paying off," Moncada said through a translator. "All the work I did in the offseason and spring training is paying off. It feels good."