White Sox shake Kauffman Stadium curse with 2-0 win over Royals

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The White Sox topped the Royals 2-0 Thursday for their first win at Kauffman Stadium in almost three years, behind a solid start from left-hander Anthony Kay and timely hitting from Colson Montgomery and Luisangel Acuna.

Kay flew through a cold Kansas City lineup before first baseman Munetaka Murakami flashed some wheels in the top of the fourth, sliding home to score on Montgomery’s one-out double off Seth Lugo.

Kay got the hook with two outs in the sixth inning after plunking Royals’ DH Jac Caglianone, who shared extended eye contact with the pitcher as he walked to first. Grant Taylor put out the fire with two men on base.

“Those guys like to chirp a little bit,” said Kay, who gave up three hits with two walks and six strikeouts over 5 ⅔ scoreless innings for his first MLB win since 2021. “I don’t think we’re going to take that anymore.”

After Acuna slapped a sacrifice fly for some seventh-inning insurance, the Sox’ Kansas City curse looked like it might emerge again as the Royals threatened twice late. But relievers Jordan Leasure and Seranthony Dominguez closed it out, ending the Sox’ MLB-record 14-game losing streak at Kauffman Stadium dating to 2023.

“We’re excited about every win,” manager Will Venable said. “Certainly to come to this ballpark where we haven’t been playing well and to play well was nice, too.”

Noah’s arc

Towering left-handed pitching prospect Noah Schultz has looked better by the day as the Sox’ early-season pitching woes have mounted.

The 6-10 Oswego East product turned in his third straight tantalizing start this season at Triple-A Charlotte Wednesday, striking out nine over five innings of two-run ball.

“Just a nightmare for a hitter,” Schultz’s former Knights teammate Duncan Davitt said after the latter got called up Thursday. “He’s kind of hard to play catch with sometimes just because it’s funky and it’s hard.”

Venable said fans shouldn’t hold their breath for Schultz to make it to the South Side.

“I just know he’s continuing to pitch really well, which is awesome to see. We have a number of guys down there playing well,” Venable said.

That includes fellow flame-throwers Hagen Smith (nine strikeouts in six innings) and Tanner McDougal (11 K’s in nine).

“You don’t want to put them in situations where we’re asking them to do stuff that they’re not prepared for, even if they might be the best option,” Venable said.

Sigh of relief

On the position-player side at Charlotte, the organization got a scare Thursday night when infield prospects William Bergolla Jr. and Sam Antonacci collided in the outfield while chasing down a fly.

Bergolla (.485/.553/.606 with four doubles and eight RBI this season) was taken out of the game with a shin bruise but was expected to be fine, according to the Sox.

Antonacci (.353/.522/.559, two homers) who has been playing left field to speed up his trajectory toward the majors, stayed in the game.

Hays on the mend

Veteran left fielder Austin Hays was thanking his own lucky stars that the hamstring he pulled Monday against the Orioles wasn’t worse than what has landed him on the 10-day injured list.

“I thought I really did some damage to it,” said Hays, the offseason addition who went 7-for-32 with a homer and double in his first nine games with the Sox. “The next day when I was waking up, I was expecting it to be locked up and not going to be able to move my leg, and it actually almost felt a little better than it did the previous night.”

He’s hoping to get closer to action in a couple of weeks.

“Maybe being able to pull up the way I did, and getting off it right away, might have saved me from making it worse,” Hays said.

Eis man cometh

Along with the rookie Davitt, reliever Brandon Eisert was recalled from Triple-A as the Sox placed Chris Murphy on the 15-day IL with left elbow impingement syndrome and sent rookie Tyler Schweitzer back down back down to Charlotte a day after he made his MLB debut.

Eisert led the Sox with 72 appearances last season. “We still trust him and will continue to put him in different spots,” Venable said.

Schweitzer gave up a run in an inning and a third during Wednesday’s loss to the Orioles, recording his first career strikeout against slugger Pete Alonso.

“I saw him when I was coming top through college and the minors and when I play MLB the Show, he’s always a good card,” Schweitzer said. “To get him as my first, it’s a good name to have.’’

Contributing: Gordon Edes