|
 Ventura, however, cramped the Chicago White Sox offense before he
left. He limited the White Sox to one run in six-plus innings as the
Kansas City Royals beat the White Sox 10-1 Monday.
The Royals snapped a six-game Opening Day losing streak.
Ventura allowed four hits -- one a solo homer to first baseman Jose
Abreu to lead off the seventh -- walked one and struck out two. He
went down in agony after throwing a strike to designated hitter Adam
LaRoche in the seventh. He will be evaluated later in the week, but
the Royals do not believe it is serious.
"There is no reason to think that," manager Ned Yost said, noting
that Ventura might miss a start because of the cramp. "I figured he
had a hand cramp. He's had them before."
The Royals' offense included a three-run home run by right-fielder
Alex Rios, who went 3-for-4 in his Kansas City debut.
"Rios has been doing this all spring long," Yost said.
Third baseman Mike Moustakas homered, singled, walked and put down a
sacrifice bunt.
"The bunt was for the team and it helped us win," Moustakas said.
"The home run, we were happy we extended that lead; against a good
team like that it's what you have to do. We'll go out the next day
and play the game the way we know how. Today's already forgotten."
Left fielder Alex Gordon rolled a slow roller up the middle for a
two-run single in the five-run seventh to break the game open.
"There was one in the middle that we need to make a play on," White
Sox manager Robin Ventura said. "We had some other ones that fell
into the outfield. It is one day. It was their day to have those
fall in. Hopefully that happens for us on Wednesday."
Catcher Salvador Perez singled, doubled and drove in a run.
White Sox right-hander Jeff Samardzija was charged with the loss,
permitting five runs on six hits, three walks and two hit batters in
six-plus innings.
Samardzija, who had not allowed a run in 15 innings in Opening Day
starts the previous two years with the Cubs, gave up a run in the
second inning and two more in the third.
Designated hitter Kendrys Morales walked with one out in the second,
took second on Gordon's ground out and scored on Perez's double to
right.
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Shortstop Alcides Escobar led off the third with a double to
right-center and Moustakas moved him to third with a sacrifice bunt.
Center fielder Lorenzo Cain flared a single to shallow right to
score Escobar. Cain swiped second, advanced to third on first
baseman Eric Hosmer's ground out and came home on a Samardzija wild
pitch.
Moustakas, who worked on going to left field in spring training, hit
an opposite-field homer in the fifth, giving the Royals a 4-0
advantage. After Samardzija's next pitch struck Cain, the two
exchanged words as he walked to first base. It was the third hit
batter of the game.
"I hit him. He didn't like it," Samardzija said. "I didn't like it.
I didn't want to hit him. It didn't feel good so he didn't like it.
It's boys playing baseball. It's no big deal."
NOTES: The Royals presented American League championship rings to
players and coaches in pregame ceremonies. They also raised the
American League pennant in left field, ending a 29-year playoff
drought. ... OF Paulo Orlando was the only rookie on the Royals'
25-man roster. ... White Sox rookie Micah Johnson, who hit .339 in
spring training, won the starting second baseman job. ... The White
Sox placed LHP Eric Surkamp on the disabled list with an upper back
strain. ... "It seemed like this day would never come as we were
going through things in October, November and December," White Sox
GM Rick Hahn said in the dugout before the season opener.
"Expectations are high in the clubhouse and around the club. It's
now time to start delivering on those, which is exciting." ... RHPs
Samardzija and Jaime Navarro are the lone pitchers to start season
openers for the Cubs and White Sox.
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
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