Royals lose, miss chance to pull even with Tigers

The end of baseball’s regular season has arrived and questions remain about the Royals’ postseason destination.

Saturday’s 5-4 loss to the White Sox meant the Royals remain one game behind the Tigers in the American League Central race.

Had the Tigers won, Detroit would have celebrated a division title. But their second straight loss to the Twins keeps the race open.

A Royals victory and Tigers loss today would result in a deadlock atop the Central and a one-game tie-breaker game would be played in Detroit. The winner would advance to the Division Series, the loser to the wild card game on Tuesday.

Oh, that was one piece of postseason business that was settled Saturday. A Central team will play host to the wild card game against a West Division team.

A final day with goals alive and scoreboard to be watched — the Royals will begin an hour later than the Tigers — not a bad way to conclude a season. Yordano Ventura will start for the Royals against the White Sox. David Price is expected to get the ball for the Tigers against the Twins.

“We’re still focused on seeing what might happen,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “Minnesota has been doing a great job against Detroit. Hopefully, we can get a win and Minnesota can have some magic one more time.”

Reaching the playoffs became a reality on Friday, when the Royals clinched their first postseason since 1985. A day later, the Royals seemed to play without much energy, at least early on, and that might have been anticipated the day after a playoff celebration.

What could be troubling was the performance of starter Danny Duffy.

He was in danger from the outset. The White Sox first hitter, Adam Eaton, worked a full count and fouled off a pair of pitches before drawing a walk.

The speedy Eaton, always a threat to steal, took off. Duffy had him measured and fired to first baseman Eric Hosmer. But Hosmer’s throw to Alcides Escobar was high and he couldn’t get the tag down in time.

Eaton came home on Alexei Ramirez’s single, and up stepped Jose Abreu.

The leading candidate for American League rookie of the year brought into the game 35 home runs on the season, but none against the Royals in 59 plate appearances.

Until his first on Saturday.

Abreu’s shot over the center field wall made it 3-0 before Duffy had recorded an out. When he walked off the mound in the first, Duffy had thrown 32 pitches.

In the second, Josh Phegley teed off on Duffy for a solo home run, and Duffy was nearing the end of his night.

“I just didn’t have any command of anything,” Duffy said. “I didn’t have my best stuff. I feel terrible, but I’m not going to dwell on it. I’m not going to worry about tonight when tonight’s over.”

Phegley added a second solo home run in the seventh, his third of the season, all in this series.

When Abreu led off the third with a single, Duffy was done. Earlier in the week, he had delivered an encouraging performance against the Indians with six shutout innings. That was Duffy’s first game back after suffering rotator cuff inflammation after throwing one pitch on Sept. 6 against the Yankees.

But Saturday’s problem was pitch location.

“A couple of pitches here, a couple pitches there, it can cost you,” Duffy said.

The Royals got one back in the third when Mike Moustakas singled to right with one out and hustled to third on Escobar’s single. Nori Aoki’s fielder’s choice grounder scored Moustakas.

Salvador Perez’s 17th home run got one back in the seventh and the Royals put together an uprising in the eighth when Escobar walked, Aoki single and Lorenzo Cain singled in Escobar.

uprising in the eighth. Escobar walked and singles by Aoki and Cain pushed home a run to make it 5-3.

But Eric Hosmer offered at White Sox reliever Eric Surkamp’s first pitch and grounded into a rally-killing double play.

“That really hurt us,” Hosmer said. “We battled back, cut the deficit, got guys on in the late innings. I just couldn’t get it done.”

The game’s start was delayed several minutes as the White Sox paid tribute to Paul Konerko. Current and former players gathered in folded chairs between the mound and home plate, and the Royals came to the top of their dugout to pay their respect.

Konerko started at first base, where he played most of his 18 years, including 16 with the White Sox. He hit 439 career home runs, helped the White Sox win the 2005 World Series and was MVP of the American League Championship Series that year.

But his final plate appearance, against Royals reliever Jason Frasor, ended with a called third strike.

This story was originally published September 27, 2014 at 10:35 PM with the headline "Royals lose, miss chance to pull even with Tigers."