4 takeaways from the Chicago White Sox sweep of the Kansas City Royals, including Yasmani Grandal walking into the record book and another stellar outing by Carlos Rodón

LaMond Pope, Chicago Tribune
·6 min read

Here are four takeaways from the Chicago White Sox’s three-game sweep of the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium.

1. Carlos Rodón had another ‘superb’ performance.

Rodón wrapped up another stellar outing on a strong note, striking out Jorge Soler to end the sixth inning Friday.

Rodón allowed five hits and struck out eight in six innings in the 3-0 victory.

He’s the first Sox pitcher to go 5-0 through his first five starts since Chris Sale in 2016, and he’s the first pitcher in the majors to win his first five starts with an ERA of 0.58 or lower since the Detroit Tigers’ Jordan Zimmermann (5-0, 0.55 ERA) in 2016.

Rodón’s 0.58 ERA is the lowest by a Sox pitcher through five starts since ERA was first tracked in 1913.

“He’s been superb,” pitching coach Ethan Katz said during a conference call Saturday. “I’m hoping that this continues. He’s doing all the right things in between, getting his work done, he’s feeling good. Is it realistic that he’ll keep putting these great numbers together? I hope so, but he’s probably going to give up a run here or there at some point.”

Lance Lynn pitched five scoreless innings Saturday, giving Sox starters 25⅓ consecutive scoreless innings going into the series finale.

That streak ended in the first inning Sunday when Whit Merrifield scored while Salvador Pérez grounded into a double play. Sox starter Lucas Giolito allowed hits to the first two batters and just two more the rest of his outing. He went five innings, allowing one run, striking out two and walking two in the 9-3 victory.

2. Yasmani Grandal walked his way into the record book.

Grandal drew a ninth-inning walk in his final at-bat Saturday. In the process, the Sox catcher walked into the record book.

It was his fourth walk of the game and his 13th in his last four games. According to STATS, he joined Bryce Harper (13 from May 7-10, 2016) and Babe Ruth (13 from June 12-15, 1930) as the only players since 1901 with 13 walks in a four-game span.

“I’m not trying to go up there and walk,” Grandal said before Sunday’s game. “It just so happens that I ended up walking. There’s times when I’m a little bit more passive than others. You look at the situation of the game and what the pitching matchup is going to be. You look at whether they are trying to get the guy behind me and seeing how they don’t want to mix and match that up. Sometimes you do go up there looking for one pitch in one zone and trying to hit the ball out.

“Other than that, it’s great to be in a list of guys. Bryce Harper is probably going to be a Hall of Famer and then Babe Ruth in the conversation is always something great.”

The 13 walks were the most by a Sox player in a four-game span in franchise history.

Grandal went 0-for-4 with a walk Sunday. The 14 walks in a five-game span placed him one shy of the major-league record, trailing Harper (May 5-9, 2016) and Ruth (June 12-17, 1930).

Grandal is second in the majors with 27 walks. He has a .113/.378/.242 slash line.

“It just so happens that this year every time I’m hitting something, it’s right at somebody,” he said. “So I kind of stopped looking at the numbers. Started looking at what I was doing and how they were pitching to me, and it seems like guys aren’t missing. Every time they hit a spot, they are dotting.

“I’m done swinging at pitches that they want me to swing at. If you make a mistake, I want to crush you. If you don’t, then I’m going to walk.”

3. Add Danny Mendick’s name to the list for outfield depth.

Mendick played outfield in the majors for the first time Saturday. He was tested right away when he tracked down a high fly near the right-field line by Pérez for the final out of the first inning.

“Getting the first one out of the way, that Pérez high moon shot with the wind and everything, that was nice,” Mendick said after the game. “Got that one out of the way and then I was like, all right, you can take a breath, relax and enjoy it.”

Mendick contributed offensively in the top of the first with a two-run home run to left. The Sox scored eight runs in the inning on the way to the 9-1 win.

“I knew (Royals starter Daniel Lynch) had a changeup in there, saw it well in his hand, kind of stayed over the middle of the plate, maybe a little away, and I just put a good swing on it,” Mendick said. “Knew I could cover the whole plate. You know your strike zone and you try to stay within it. Got the barrel to it and was short to it.”

Mendick also has played second and shortstop this season. He had experience in the outfield in the minors. That versatility could put him in the mix for a team in need of outfield depth.

He caught three balls during Giolito’s five innings Sunday.

“I wasn’t trying to get them to keep hitting the ball at him just because that’s not a natural position for him,” Giolito said with a laugh. “But he’s doing a wonderful job, the routes are great.”

Mendick also had the opportunity to pitch earlier this season, throwing a scoreless inning with one strikeout April 19 in a blowout loss to the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.

“That just helped my WAR out a little bit, maybe helped my versatility, late-game closer,” Mendick joked before Saturday’s game. “I was joking, saying I needed to get a bullpen in. It was fun I got to do it at Fenway. I went to college in Boston (at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell), so it was pretty cool. Would love to do it again and maybe work on my air cutter.”

4. Nick Madrigal gives the Sox another option in the No. 2 slot.

Madrigal batted second Saturday and followed a Tim Anderson single with one of his own in the first inning. The two batted a second time during the eight-run inning, and again both singled.

Madrigal has spent most of this season batting ninth. He gives the Sox a nice alternative near the top of the lineup because of his ability to put the bat on the ball, especially with two strikes.

He has a .316 average (6-for-19) in four games batting second after going 1-for-5 Sunday.

Madrigal likes the challenge at any spot in the order and enjoys those opportunities in the No. 2 slot.

“I feel comfortable in that spot,” he said during a phone interview before Saturday’s game. “You do get a lot more at-bats game by game hitting toward the top of the order, and I enjoy that. It’s great hitting behind Tim. It seems like he’s always on base, whether it’s first or second base.

“I enjoy just getting the game started and trying to be a spark for the team toward the top of the order.”