Royals go from losing 22-1 at Chicago White Sox to falling 2-1 — on a walkoff
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- Michael Wacha allowed one run with seven strikeouts but took a no decision.
- Carter Jensen extended his hitting streak to a career-best 18 games with an RBI.
- White Sox won on Jacob Gonzalez’s walk-off single after loading the bases.
The Kansas City Royals needed a quality start. After being outscored 40-6 in their last three games, they couldn’t afford to overextend their bullpen.
Enter starting pitcher Michael Wacha.
Wacha allowed one run in Saturday’s 2-1 loss at the Chicago White Sox, scattering five hits while striking out seven batters. The outcome was still a loss, but it was a far cry from the 22-1 blowout KC absorbed on Friday.
“Obviously, you are aware of the bullpen day yesterday,” Wacha told reporters in Chicago. “You know, as a starter, we try to get as deep as we can every time we go out there.”
Wacha reached a career milestone in the eighth inning. He struck out White Sox catcher Kyle Teel on a 95.7 mph fastball for his 1,500th career strikeout.
The White Sox didn’t have many opportunities against Wacha. He navigated with efficiency the same Chicago lineup that had overwhelmed the Royals’ pitchers one day prior. His changeup and mix of off-speed pitches were especially effective.
“Incredible,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro told reporters in Chicago of Wacha. “Efficient and stuff was great. Sinker, four-seam (fastball), everything was good.
“He goes 7 and 2/3 (innings) and still was at 100 pitches. It was exactly the kind of performance you expect from him against a team that’s swinging the bat well. It was really impressive.”
The Royals dropped to 34-50 with the loss. They have now lost four straight games on their seven-game road trip.
Wacha recorded 52 swings and 11 whiffs in the start. The White Sox were swinging early in counts and got some defensive help, too.
Second baseman Michael Massey, for example, made two key plays in the second inning. And Royals catcher Salvador Perez threw out White Sox outfielder Braden Montgomery in the fifth.
Neither team could find much offensive rhythm, though. And despite his sterling effort, Wacha took a no-decision.
“I thought everything was really good,” Wacha said. “I thought me and Sal (Perez) were in a great spot and we were executing a lot of pitches where we wanted it to be. Getting a lot of weak contact and swing-and-miss at times. I thought it was a pretty good day out there.”
The Royals scored their lone run in the seventh. Carter Jensen extended his hitting streak to a career-best 18 games. His two-out RBI single gave the Royals a slim lead.
However, the Royals failed to add more as Nick Loftin ran through a coach’s sign to stop and was tagged out at third base to end the seventh.
“You’ve got to pick up (Royals pitching coach) Vance (Wilson) there,” Quatraro said of Loftin missing Wilson’s instruction to hold up. “It was clear, to me, that he had the stop sign up.”
The baserunning mistake was costly. Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. was left standing on deck with a chance to increase the lead.
There were other missed opportunities. The Royals left two runners in scoring position in the second inning when John Rave and Loftin struck out against White Sox starter Davis Martin.
Loftin also couldn’t get a safety squeeze down in the seventh, although Jensen’s RBI single negated that mistake.
Like Wacha, Martin took a no-decision despite not allowing a run in 5 1/3 innings.
“They did a good job pitching well,” Quatraro said. “I mean, Martin has been good all year. The bullpen did a really good job. We had an opportunity early that we didn’t capitalize on, and then in the seventh, hopefully we can get more than one there. That’s all we were able to get.”
The White Sox tied it in the seventh. Braden Montgomery recorded an RBI on a fielder’s choice, and then it became a bullpen battle. Those have not been turning out well for the Royals.
Chicago turned to hard-throwing reliever Grant Taylor, and he retired six consecutive batters across two innings. His effort set the stage for the ninth, the White Sox needing a run to win the game and the series outright.
With the bases loaded, White Sox first baseman Jacob Gonzalez hit a walkoff single with Royals reliever John Schreiber on the mound. The ball got away from Witt at short in spite of his best efforts to keep it on the infield.
“I think nine times out of 10, I make that play at the end,” Witt told reporters in Chicago. “So it’s frustrating. Those are the fun ones. Those are the games that you want to be in. ... Just got to be able to make that play (and) be able to see what happens after that.”
Loftin left the game in the ninth. A ball hit him in the groin while he was trying to field a throw from Royals reliever Daniel Lynch IV.
“He’s just being evaluated right now,” Quatraro said. “Hopefully we can know a little bit more. He is in some pain.”
Chicago (43-38) won its franchise-record 10th consecutive home series. The White Sox are 16-9 against the rest of the American League Central.
What’s next: Royals right-hander Luinder Avila (3-3, 5.06 ERA) will start Sunday’s series finale opposite Chicago left-hander Anthony Kay (6-2, 4.24 ERA) at Rate Field. First pitch is set for 1:10 p.m. Central Time.
This story was originally published June 27, 2026 at 6:02 PM with the headline "Royals go from losing 22-1 at Chicago White Sox to falling 2-1 — on a walkoff."
