Abreu drives White Sox to another win over Royals
White Sox outfielder Adam Engel was sitting in the dugout next to Tim Anderson at Kansas City Thursday when Jose Abreu came to the plate with runners on first and third.
"We were like, 'This guy is going to drive in this run. This guy's an RBI machine,'" Engel said. "Just going on and on about he could be up there with one leg and eight fingers and he'll find a way to drive in a run. He's just an animal."
Abreu has been ferocious at the plate since the beginning of August, and he did make Engel and Anderson look like sages with a run-scoring single.
Abreu was back at doing what he does best - knocking in runs - Friday night in the Sox's 7-4 win over the Royals at Kauffman Stadium. The White Sox are 7-1 against K.C. this season.
After collecting 3 RBI in the series opener against Kansas City, Abreu drove in 2 more as the White Sox (24-15) moved back into first place in the AL Central.
Abreu led the league with 123 RBI last year and is the MLB leader with 38 this season.
After being held to 3 total runs in consecutive losses at Minnesota Tuesday and Wednesday, the Sox have scored 18 in back-to-back wins vs. the Royals.
"I think when our offense is clicking, we're a really tough team to beat," Engel said.
Dane Dunning made his third major-league start for the White Sox Friday.
The right-hander was able to throw 88 pitches, up from 79 his last time out and 73 in his debut.
On the flip side, Dunning struggled with his command against the Royals and gave up 3 runs on 5 hits and 4 walks in 4⅔ innings.
Clemente nominee:
Tim Anderson is the Sox's nomination for the Roberto Clemente Award, presented annually to the MLB player who best represents the game through character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions on and off the field.
Anderson's League of Leaders community outreach program is in its fourth year and was created by the White Sox's shortstop and his wife, Bria, to instill leadership skills in youth affected by violence.
Anderson's best friend, Branden Deon Moss, was shot and killed trying to help an assault victim in May of 2017.
"We're very proud of him," manager Rick Renteria said. "He's got a broad view of different things and he's a very compassionate person, passionate between the lines. It's nice to see that he's recognized for what he's been doing in the community."
Anderson was 2-for-4 against the Royals Friday night, raising his average to .352.
That leads the AL, and Anderson is trying to become the first Sox hitter to win back-to-back batting titles.
"Definitely would be a cool accomplishment," Anderson said. "But I definitely want something bigger than the batting title. I want something I can share with everybody. Hopefully we can just continue to keep fighting and keep pushing and see what happens."