Eloy Jimenez's blast carries White Sox past Royals

[July 28, 2021]    Eloy Jimenez's 459-foot home run -- his first long ball of the season -- helped the visiting Chicago White Sox earn a 5-3, come-from-behind victory over the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night.

Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Dylan Cease (84) delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Jimenez missed Chicago's first 99 games with a torn left pectoral tendon suffered in a spring training game March 24. He made his season debut Monday in the opener of the four-game series at Kansas City.

The White Sox erased a 3-1 deficit by scoring four runs in the eighth inning, capped by Jimenez's blast.

Reynaldo Lopez (1-0) picked up the win with a scoreless seventh inning. Liam Hendriks earned his 25th save with a 1-2-3 ninth.

Kyle Zimmer (4-1) gave up an intentional walk and Jimenez's home run in his three-batter stint, taking a loss that ended the Royals' six-game winning streak.

Brad Keller allowed one run on four hits in seven innings for Kansas City, the Royals' sixth quality start in the past seven games. The bullpen couldn't hold the lead, though.

Keller, pitching on his birthday for the first time in his professional career, made his fourth straight quality start after recording only three in his first 17 outings this year.

The White Sox's Dylan Cease also logged a quality start. He allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits in six innings while walking one and striking out six.

The Royals scored a run in the second to take the lead, and then they were gifted a second. Jorge Soler walked leading off and went to third on a single by Andrew Benintendi. After Ryan O'Hearn struck out, Hunter Dozier hit a sacrifice fly to deep center, scoring Soler.

Michael A. Taylor then hit a line drive to right that was dropped by Andrew Vaughn, allowing Benintendi to score.

The White Sox finally got a run off Keller in the fourth. After a 6-4-3 double play emptied the bases, Gavin Sheets homered. Sheets, who has six home runs in 21 major league games, blasted it 429 feet into the bullpen in right.

The Royals came right back in the bottom of the fourth. Benintendi hit a one-out double to the wall in right-center and scored on O'Hearn's RBI single.

The White Sox got a run in the eighth on an RBI groundout by Yoan Moncada prior to Jimenez's home run.

--Field Level Media

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