White Sox regroup, roll to 9-2 win over Royals

After expressing disappointment at failing to make any trades Tuesday, White Sox general manager Rick Hahn wasn't completely down.

"We still very much believe in this group that's inside this clubhouse right now," he said. "We feel they are very much capable of playing better baseball than we've seen over the first few months and that there's a makings of a potential championship team in there should they get to their accustomed levels of performance."

Playing more like they were expected to Tuesday night, the Sox rolled to a 9-2 win over the Royals at Guaranteed Rate Field.

"Give the credit to our offense," said White Sox starter Lucas Giolito, who pitched 5 innings and gave up 2 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks. "They just came out focused and prepared. They were putting together great at-bats all night long."

Eloy Jimenez sparked the offense, going 3-for-3 with a walk and 4 RBI.

Jose Abreu (2-for-5, 3 RBI) and Gavin Sheets homered as the White Sox (52-51) pulled to 2 games behind the first-place Twins in the AL Central.

"It's good," said Jimenez, who is 13-for-29 with 3 home runs and 7 RBI during an eight-game hitting streak. "We're a team that can do that. It's been up and down, but it's heating up."

Hahn has been frustrated with the inconsistent play over the first four months of the season, but there is plenty of time for the Sox to make a move.

"If they live up to their potential, they're capable of winning this thing," Hahn said. "I know that it looks like, at times, we've lost a little bit of that swagger. In 2020, even last year, we were an exciting, energetic young team with some swagger and a chip on its shoulder. I think we need to recapture some of that."

Robert returns:

It wasn't a trade acquisition, but the White Sox did have a somewhat surprising roster addition Tuesday.

Luis Robert, who has been out since leaving a July 15 game at Minnesota with blurred vision, was activated off the injured list.

The center fielder didn't play against the Royals Tuesday but he could be back in the lineup Wednesday afternoon.

"Fundamentally, I believe that he was suffering the effects of a virus, is probably a not very satisfying way of saying it," Hahn said. "But the reality is he did have a couple of vitamin deficiencies that we've been able to address that have been linked to causing his symptoms, and fortunately those symptoms have resolved.

"Based on those symptoms, we put him through an extraordinary amount of testing, through which we were able to rule out a lot of bad things, which was obviously a great relief to everyone. And at this point it seems fairly clear he was suffering the ill effects of a virus that was perhaps causing his deficiencies and leading to his symptoms."

Another banner month:

After winning American League Pitcher of the Month for June, Sox starter Dylan Cease claimed the honor again for July.

The 26-year-old righty went 5-1 with a 0.76 ERA in 6 starts last month.

"It's so fresh I really haven't reflected a whole lot on it," Cease said. "It's one of those things where after the season will be a lot of the reflecting and sitting down and really taking a good look at it. Right now I'm still in compete mode and trying to continue the process.

"It's definitely special and I couldn't be more just grateful and happy to have accomplished it and hopefully it's not the last one. But we still have work to do."