Carter Jensen extended his franchise-record rookie hitting streak to 19 games as the Kansas City Royals avoided a sweep with a 5-4 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Sunday.
Jensen went 3-for-5 with two RBIs to help Kansas City snap a four-game losing streak. Royals relievers then tightened the game, holding the White Sox scoreless over the final five innings after starter Luinder Avila allowed four runs in four innings. Steven Cruz, Beck Way, Lucas Erceg, Matt Strahm and Alex Lange combined to limit Chicago to only two baserunners, with Lange throwing a perfect ninth for his seventh save.
The game featured back-and-forth scoring. Miguel Vargas homered and doubled for Chicago, including a 19th home run that answered Kansas City’s first-inning RBI single by Jensen. After the score was tied 4-4 in the third, Jensen’s second hit—a double into the right-field corner in the fourth—put the Royals ahead for good and chased White Sox starter Anthony Kay after 3 2/3 innings. The Royals entered with a recent struggle, including an MLB-high 22 blown-lead losses.
Jensen’s streak began with a RBI single that scored Lane Thomas in the top of the first. The White Sox fell to 17-10 in one-run games as Kansas City improved its odds of avoiding its seventh sweep of the season.