Vaughn’s homer lifts White Sox over Royals, 4-2

By DAVID SMALE Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo, (AP) — Andrew Vaughn’s two-run homer in the sixth inning broke a 1-1 tie and lifted the Chicago White Sox to a 4-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night.
Lucas Giolito (2-2) allowed two runs on five hits over six innings in a game that started two hours late because of rain.
Kendall Graveman worked the ninth for his first save. He said the delay played into his hands.
“It was a bonus for me pitching at 9 at night because I’m a night owl,” he said. “I was right at home. It was one of those nights when the stuff was a little bit better, velocity-wise.”
Jordan Lyles (0-6) threw a complete game, the first by a Royals pitcher in more than two years, allowing four runs on six hits with no walks. Brad Keller was the last Kansas City starter to go the distance, in his 11-0 shutout of Pittsburgh on Sept. 13, 2020.
“He’s incredible,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said of Lyles. “He always wants the next inning, whether he pitches five, six, seven, eight. He always wants one more.
“His stuff was good. They got to him for a couple homers. But that’s a huge thing for us to refresh the bullpen. And at the same time, he gave us a chance to win the game, too.”
Vinnie Pasquantino homered in the first and drove in both of the Royals’ runs.
“I got a little angry giving up that home run in the first inning,” Giolito said. “For me, pitching angry can go one way or the other. Tonight, we were able to channel that into aggression in the strike zone.”
Once the game got started, it moved quickly. The first five innings took just 1:01 to complete. Giolito gave up one run on three hits through five while Lyles gave up a run on two hits. But both pitchers ran into trouble in the sixth.
Lenys Sosa led off the Chicago sixth with a double and with one out, Vaughn hit a sinker from Lyles 422 feet into the bullpen in left.
“I think all of Vaughn’s home runs have either tied or put us ahead,” White Sox manager Pedro Grifol said. “He’s been Mr. Clutch. Every time he hits one it’s a big one.”
Bobby Witt Jr. led off the bottom of the inning with a triple down the right-field line. He was clocked at 11.09 seconds from the plate to third — the second-fastest triple in the majors this season behind Arizona’s Corbin Carroll (10.91 seconds) on April 25, also at Kansas City. Witt scored on a bloop hit Pasquantino.
Giolito then walked two of the next three batters, loading the bases with one out. But he got Hunter Dozier to pop out and Freddy Fermin to hit into a fielder’s choice.
Seby Zavala had a two-out RBI single in the seventh for Chicago.
Luis Robert made it 1-1 in the fourth when he lined the first pitch from Lyles 430 feet into the bullpen in left. It was the first baserunner Lyles allowed.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Royals LHP Ryan Yarbrough, who was placed on the 15-day injured list Monday with broken bones in his face after taking a 106-mph line drive off the bat of Oakland’s Ryan Noda on Sunday, was released from the hospital Monday night. Quatraro said Yarbrough had a follow-up Tuesday and will not need surgery. He’ll have another follow-up in a month before he can return to more strenuous activity.
UP NEXT
Chicago RHP Lance Lynn (1-4, 6.68 ERA) faces Kansas City’s Brad Keller (2-3, 4.67) in the third game of the four-game series.