Former Royals player helps White Sox beat KC, finish 3-game sweep in Chicago
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- Randal Grichuk had three hits, a two-run homer and a two-run single.
- Kris Bubic allowed five runs on five hits and three walks in five innings pitched.
- Randal Grichuk had three hits, a two-run homer and a two-run single.
The Royals’ rotation was among the best in baseball for the first six weeks of the season, but Kansas City’s starting pitchers have hit a collective pothole.
After turning in a quality start in 19 of the Royals’ first 36 games, the staff’s starters have just one in their last eight contests.
The latest pitcher to struggle was left-hander Kris Bubic, the loser Thursday night in the Royals’ 6-2 defeat against the White Sox at Rate Field. It was a dreadful end to a dreadful series, which Chicago swept.
“This was a bad three days for us,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “It’s not fun to lose three games, and it’s certainly something that’s easy to find negatives in. But we have to be ready to go tomorrow, and that’s the best part about this game.”
Bubic (3-2) allowed five runs on five hits and three walks in five innings with four strikeouts. He threw 50 strikes among his 84 pitches.
Former Royals outfielder Randal Grichuk did the most damage against Bubic. After the Royals scored in the top of the first inning, Grichuk hit a two-out, two-run homer in the bottom half to give Chicago a 2-1 lead.
Grichuk also delivered a two-run single in the third inning.
“Our offense putting up a run in the first, kind of get going, and then they come right back with the two-spot, and then we’re playing from behind the whole game,” Bubic said. “Obviously not pitching deep, because (my) pitch count got a little elevated there, but yeah, I just want to keep the team in the game.
“For me, you know, giving up a two-spot in the first inning, those are the only runs I want to give up. If it’s a 2-1 game going through the middle innings there, it’s probably a different story. But that didn’t happen, so that’s why for me, not to say my effort wasn’t there, but just the effort of a better outing wasn’t there.”
Grichuk, who was acquired by the Royals ahead of last summer’s MLB trade deadline, had three hits and fell a triple shy of hitting for the cycle. The four RBIs nearly matched his season total entering the game (five).
Royals swept out of Chicago
The sweep at Rate Field moved the White Sox to a game above .500 at 22-21. The Royals dropped their fourth straight and are 19-26.
This was just the Royals’ second series loss to the White Sox since 2024.
The Royals were a half-game out of first place on May 5, but they’re now 4 1/2 back of the Guardians. KC is tied with Detroit for fourth place in the five-team American League Central.
“You can say whatever you want about the White Sox the last couple years, but they’ve been a really competitive team, this year especially,” Bubic said. “I think they have a good young core over there. Their pitching is throwing the ball really well, and (it was) just a series we didn’t play very well. It’s as simple as that.
“We go into St. Louis this weekend, you win the series, or even sweep them, we’re kind of right back where we want to be. So there’s ebbs and flows to the season, and I think we don’t take anybody for granted, and we want to be obviously more competitive in a series.
“But at the end of the day, we just move on to the next.”
Fast start but could’ve been more
The Royals got on the board quickly as Maikel Garcia and Bobby Witt Jr. opened the game with singles.
Lane Thomas’ sacrifice fly scored Garcia. With two outs, Nick Loftin was hit by a pitch, but the Royals stranded two runners when Vinnie Pasquantino struck out.
In the fifth, the Royals had two on with one out, but catcher Salvador Perez hit into an inning-ending double play.
Pasquantino and Perez were key run producers last season, but they have 39 combined RBIs this year through 44 games.
“We know they both drove in 100 runs for us last year, so they’re capable of that, and you know, we would love that,” Quatraro said. “But that doesn’t mean everything’s on them. This is a team. We’re going to win as a team and lose as a team.”
The Royals were zero for five with runners in scoring position and left eight runners on base.
Up next: The Royals open a three-game set in St. Louis on Friday. Right-hander Michael Wacha, who made his big-league debut with the Cardinals in 2015, will start for KC. The Cards will counter with right-hander Dustin May. First pitch is at 7:15 p.m.
This story was originally published May 14, 2026 at 9:19 PM with the headline "Former Royals player helps White Sox beat KC, finish 3-game sweep in Chicago."
