Royals sweep White Sox behind this career first from pitcher Seth Lugo

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Royals have played 100 games this season. There have been several highlight moments and a few the club and its fans would like to forget.

On Sunday, the Royals earned a 4-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox at Kauffman Stadium. And they did it with the mix of fantastic pitching, small-ball and situational hitting that’s become their calling card this season.

“We took what was given to us,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “The guys hit the ball the other way and guys didn’t get too big. There were two-out hits. We have to mention the baserunning in that game. The first-to-thirds, the aggressiveness and willingness to put yourself out there.”

After failing to decipher right-handed starting pitcher Drew Thorpe early, the Royals found a way to break through against the Chicago bullpen. Kansas City tied the game at 1-1 in the seventh inning behind outfielder Kyle Isbel’s sacrifice bunt.

That run forced Thorpe to finish with a no-decision (more on that later) and provided Royals starting pitcher Seth Lugo a chance to remain on the mound all afternoon.

And Lugo, in his ninth major-league season but first with the Royals, turned in a truly masterful performance. The first-time All-Star allowed just one run and three hits and struck out five for the first complete game of his career.

“My mindset over my career, you know, I’ve always said I want to play every inning of every game,” Lugo said. “So I finally got to do that today. It’s kind of what I have been saying for years and I actually did it.”

In all, the Royals’ starting pitchers surrendered just one run in 23 innings during this series sweep.

The White Sox were baffled early in Sunday’s game. Chicago didn’t break through until the sixth inning, when outfielder Tommy Pham hit an RBI single. He hit an 89.8 mph sinker that caught a little too much of the plate.

Lugo settled down, however, and got outfielder Luis Robert Jr. out to end the inning two batters later.

“We just had to scratch away and get some runs,” Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. said. “A couple innings before, we did a great job scratching a run on the board.”

The Royals grabbed the lead in the eighth inning. Outfielder Hunter Renfroe hit a go-ahead single as Witt scored from third base. Maikel Garcia and Dairon Blanco followed with RBI singles to drive in Kansas City’s final two runs.

“It’s feels good,” Renfroe said. “The guys came out swinging the bat really well.”

The Royals improved to 55-45 with the win, one victory shy of their win total from all of last season. The White Sox dropped to 27-74.

Here are more notable aspects of Sunday’s game:

Royals rue missed 6th-inning chance

Drew Thorpe, Chicago’s 23-year-old right-handed starting pitcher, allowed just three hits in six innings Sunday.

After giving up a first-inning single to Witt, Thorpe cruised. Just two Royals reached base across the next four innings.

The Royals left a few chances on the field. For instance, they stranded runners at the corners in the sixth. Witt hit a one-out single and first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino followed suit. But Thorpe was able to escape further damage by striking out Royals captain Salvador Perez and retiring Renfroe.

Thorpe finished with five strikeouts — including three against Perez, who went 0 for 4 Sunday — but settled for a no-decision.

“The guys were saying they have not seen a changeup like that in the past,” Quatraro said of Thorpe. “He located (the ball) extremely well and he used his fastball when he needed to. The cutter and changeup, we didn’t seem to have an answer for it.”

Maikel Garcia produces highlight defensive play

Lugo could’ve let the sixth inning get away from him. But he received some timely defensive help.

Garcia made a backhanded stop near the third-base line and threw out Robert to end the threat. The throw showcased his arm strength as the baseball beat Robert by a step at the first base bag.

The critical sequence enabled Lugo to keep pitching and ultimately secure the complete game.

“It’s a huge play with two guys on,” Lugo said. “I think if that ball gets through, it’s a completely different ballgame and it might be my last inning.

“The defense all night was making great plays. I think everybody in the field was knocking some balls down and that was great.”

What’s next on the Royals’ schedule?

The Royals continue their nine-game homestand on Monday night. Kansas City welcomes the Arizona Diamondbacks to Kauffman Stadium for a three-game midweek series.

Royals left-hander Cole Ragans draws the Monday start. He is 4-3 with a 3.49 ERA in 11 home starts and has registered six quality starts in his last seven outings.

The Diamondbacks will start right-hander Yilber Diaz, who is 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA this season.

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