MJ Melendez continued his impressive performance, blasting his third home run of the series—a two-run shot in the seventh inning—as the Kansas City Royals staged a comeback to defeat the Chicago White Sox 5-3 on Sunday, completing a four-game sweep.
Chicago, starting with a 1-9 record for only the second time in the franchise’s 124-year history, saw their 19-inning scoreless streak end in the fourth inning. Despite taking a 3-0 lead in the fifth, they couldn’t hold off the Royals’ comeback.
Hunter Renroe’s two-run homer off starter Garrett Crochet tied the game at 3-3 in the sixth inning. Melendez then delivered his go-ahead two-run homer off Deivi García, marking his third decisive hit of the series. His celebratory bat flip captured the moment of triumph.
Kansas City added another run in the seventh inning, benefitting from an infield hit by Kyle Isbel, extending their lead to 5-3.
John Schreiber earned the win with a solid one-hit performance in the seventh inning, while James McArthur secured his second save of the season, sealing the Royals’ first four-game sweep since 2021.
Dominic Fletcher’s RBI double and Braden Shewmake’s sacrifice fly accounted for the White Sox’s scoring, marking only the third multi-run inning of the season for Chicago.
In a stellar pitching performance, Michael Wacha delivered seven innings of two-hit ball, while MJ Melendez’s two-run homer propelled the Kansas City Royals to a 3-0 victory over the struggling Chicago White Sox on Saturday night at Kauffman Stadium.
Wacha, who earned his first win of the season, showcased dominance on the mound, tallying eight strikeouts with just one walk and limiting the White Sox to minimal offensive opportunities. With this performance, the Royals’ pitching staff boasts eight quality starts this season, leading all Major League teams in this regard.
Melendez’s decisive blast in the seventh inning, off Chris Flexen’s first-pitch fastball, broke the scoreless deadlock. Maikel Garcia contributed an additional run with an infield single as Kansas City capitalized on a productive inning.
Flexen, despite a solid start that saw him retire 12 consecutive batters after allowing two early singles, yielded three runs on six hits and two walks over 6⅓ innings.
The game proceeded at a brisk pace, with both starters working efficiently—the first five innings completed in just 57 minutes.
Nick Anderson maintained Kansas City’s defensive stronghold with a strong eighth inning, conceding just one hit, while Chris Stratton sealed the victory with his first save since July 19 of the previous year with St. Louis, completing the three-hitter.
Maikel Garcia and Bobby Witt Jr. each contributed two singles for the Royals, propelling the team above .500 for the first time since April 9, 2022.
Meanwhile, the White Sox continued to struggle offensively, enduring their third shutout of the season and accumulating a meager 13 runs thus far, marking their lowest output through eight games since 1968.
On Friday night, MJ Melendez came through in the clutch, breaking an eighth-inning tie with a single to propel the Kansas City Royals to a 2-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Friday night.
With one out, Melendez delivered a well-placed liner to left field off Michael Kopech (0-1), allowing pinch-runner Dairon Blanco to score.
Chris Stratton (1-0) pitched a scoreless eighth inning to earn the win for the Royals.
In the ninth inning, Luis Robert Jr. doubled down the left-field line with one out but left the game with a left hip flexor injury. James McArthur entered the game and induced a double-play grounder to secure his first save.
Salvador Pérez kicked off the scoring for the Royals in the first inning with an RBI double off the top of the center-field wall. Pérez, who tallied three hits in the game, ranks among the American League leaders with nine RBIs.
Gavin Sheets responded for the White Sox with a leadoff homer in the second inning, but Royals starter Brady Singer settled in, retiring the next 15 hitters in a row.
Singer finished with an impressive outing, allowing just one run on two hits and one walk while striking out four over 6 1/3 innings.
Chicago starter Erick Fedde also turned in a solid performance, yielding one run on six hits and two walks with four strikeouts over five innings.
Looking ahead, the White Sox will send RHP Triston McKenzie to the mound to face Cleveland in Monday’s series opener. Meanwhile, the Royals will rely on LHP Cole Ragans in Tuesday’s series against Houston.
