CHICAGO (AP) – Ryan O’Hearn hit a two-run homer in his major league debut, helping Danny Duffy and the Kansas City Royals beat the Chicago White Sox 4-2 on Tuesday night.
Brett Phillips also hit a two-run shot for last-place Kansas City, which had dropped four of five. Duffy (7-9) pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings, rebounding nicely from a rocky start against Detroit.
It was Phillips’ first hit since he was acquired Friday in the trade that sent third baseman Mike Moustakas to Milwaukee. Phillips had to use Hunter Dozier’s bat for his Kansas City debut Sunday against the Yankees after his lumber got lost while he was flying to New York to join his new team.
He was reunited with his bats in time for the series opener against Chicago, and he looked quite comfortable on his fifth career homer in the seventh.
The White Sox lost for the fifth time in six games. They wasted prime scoring opportunities in the fourth and eighth, and another threat in the sixth was curtailed by a mental mistake by Tim Anderson – prompting manager Rick Renteria to replace the young shortstop.
Matt Davidson hit a two-run shot in the seventh for his eighth homer against the Royals this season. But Tim Hill got one out, Jason Hammel worked a rocky eighth and Wily Peralta finished for his sixth save.
O’Hearn bounced to first in his first at-bat in the second. He came up again with one out and a runner on first in the fifth, and drove a 1-0 pitch from James Shields (4-13) over the wall in right.
O’Hearn, an eighth-round pick in the 2014 draft, was promoted from Triple-A Omaha before the game. He turned 25 on Thursday.
“It’s been a lot of years in the making,” he said before his debut.
O’Hearn also walked and scored on Phillips’ homer.
Duffy allowed six hits, struck out seven and walked four. The left-hander went 3-2 with a 3.38 ERA in six July starts.
Duffy got some help when the speedy Anderson failed to run out a low liner to third baseman Rosell Herrera with runners on first and second in the sixth. Third base umpire Lance Barksdale ruled the ball hit the ground – it looked as if it might have been caught cleanly – and Herrera threw late to second.
But Whit Merrifield just jogged over and lobbed the ball to first baseman Lucas Duda for the final out of the inning. Renteria then put Nicky Delmonico in left and moved Leury Garcia to shortstop before the start of the seventh.
ABOUT THAT DEADLINE
The White Sox acquired minor league left-hander Hunter Schryver from Tampa Bay for $1 million in international signing bonus pool money. Schryver, a seventh-round pick in the 2017 draft out of Villanova University, was assigned to Class A Winston-Salem.
The Royals did not make a trade in the final hours before the non-waiver deadline. They dealt veteran third baseman Mike Moustakas to Milwaukee on Friday.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Royals: OF Brian Goodwin was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a left groin strain. Goodwin got hurt running the bases on Saturday night against the Yankees. “It’s a mild strain,” manager Ned Yost said. Goodwin is 8 for 17 with a homer and four RBIs in five games with Kansas City after he was acquired in a trade with Washington. … INF Cheslor Cuthbert, who is out with a lower back strain, was transferred to the 60-day DL.
White Sox: OF Luis Robert, one of Chicago’s top prospects, was slated to begin a rehab assignment with the Arizona League White Sox. Robert had been sidelined by a left thumb injury.
UP NEXT
Jakob Junis (5-11, 5.06 ERA) and Dylan Covey (4-6, 5.40 ERA) pitch Wednesday night in a matchup of struggling right-handers. Junis is 0-8 with a 6.98 ERA in his last nine starts for Kansas City. Covey has one win and an 8.73 ERA over his last seven starts.
