The Chicago White Sox are executing a key to success: the long ball.
Chicago has used power to produce offense, homering in nine straight games — winning six — while generating 28 of their 58 runs via the long ball.
Andrew Vaughn and Luis Robert Jr. drove in three White Sox runs with homers in Tuesday’s 4-2 win against the Royals in Kansas City.
The teams will meet again Wednesday night in the third game of a four-game series.
“I think all of Vaughn’s home runs have either tied or put us ahead,” manager Pedro Grifol said. “He’s been Mr. Clutch. Every time he hits one, it’s a big one.”
Vaughn has four homers for the season and leads the team with 28 RBIs.
Since being dropped down in the batting order while struggling through a .213 start, Robert has an eight-game hitting streak, batting .462 (12-for-26), with six extra-base hits and eight RBIs in May.
Robert returned to the No. 3 spot Tuesday and delivered a 430-foot solo blast, his club-leading eighth homer of the year.
Wednesday’s matchup with the host Kansas City Royals will feature veteran right-handers Lance Lynn (1-4, 6.86 ERA) and Brad Keller (2-3, 4.67).
Lynn is 8-3 with a 3.32 ERA in 14 career starts against the Royals, enjoying especially good results of late, winning six of seven starts since 2019 with a 1.75 ERA while striking out 50 in 46 1/3 innings and allowing just six walks.
Lynn has beaten Kansas City twice in each of the past four years he’s faced them, most recently on Aug. 31, 2022.
Royals’ rookies gave Lynn some trouble last year as Bobby Witt Jr., Vinnie Pasquantino and Nick Pratto combined for eight hits and four home runs in 23 at-bats.
The three young hitters are riding hot streaks as they prepare to face Lynn.
Witt has hit safely in all seven games he’s played on the Royals’ current homestand, batting .303 (10-for-33) with five extra-base hits, three stolen bases and seven runs. He has scored in nine of his past 10 games.
Pasquantino has reached safely in 53 of his last 56 games and has nine RBIs during the homestand, batting .313 (10-for-32) with six extra-base hits.
Pratto is hitting .389 (14-for-36) with five multi-hit games since his April 28 recall.
The White Sox are Keller’s most familiar opponent with 20 appearances (16 starts). He is 5-6 with a 3.97 ERA against them.
Vaughn collected three hits off Keller last Aug. 2 as Chicago pounded him for eight runs on 13 hits in 5 2/3 innings. Vaughn has an .833 on-base-plus-slugging average against Keller in 18 plate appearances.
Tim Anderson, who had a scheduled day off on Tuesday, has faced Keller the most, batting .250 with a home run in 36 at-bats. Anderson is a career .311 hitter against the Royals and has a career .304 average in 46 games at Kauffman Stadium.
Keller comes off his worst start of the year, giving up seven runs (six earned) on 11 hits and four walks in 4 1/3 innings in his team’s 12-8 loss to Oakland on Friday.
“I started getting myself in bad counts and putting fastballs over the middle of the plate,” Keller said after that game. “And then they started barreling stuff.”
He allowed two homers after surrendering just one long ball in his previous six starts.
— Field Level Media
