Last August, the White Sox were in the middle of a 102-loss season while the Royals were trying their best to stay on the fringes of the Wild Card race. The Royals would win 10 of 13 against the Sox, a big part of why they were able to finish with a winning record. The baseball world expected another trying season for the White Sox, but they grew up and found themselves in a pennant race this year. They go into this series just one game out of first place, and three games up for the last Wild Card spot. They have won 7 of 10 this year against the Royals, turning the tables on them.
Chicago White Sox (80-76) vs. Kansas City Royals (67-89) at Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, MO
White Sox: 4.70 runs scored/game (6th in MLB), 4.43 runs allowed/game (15th)
Royals: 4.21 runs scored/game (23rd), 4.86 runs allowed/game (25th)
The White Sox went from scoring the fourth-fewest runs in baseball in 2025 to the sixth-most runs this year. They added Munetaka Murakami, who is second among all rookies with 32 home runs. Outfielder Tristan Peters was acquired for cash considerations last December from the Rays and is now third among all rookies in fWAR at 3.9. Miguel Vargas and Colson Montgomery have also blossomed into 30+ home run hitters, and Sam Antonacci is tenth in the American League with a .363 on-base percentage.
Kyle Teel missed the first two and a half months with a hamstring injury and returned two weeks ago from an ankle injury. Brenton Doyle has not drawn a single walk in 37 games since the White Sox acquired him in July. Former Royals outfielder Andrew Benintendi is hitting just .167/.216/.229 in his last 18 games. Former Royals outfielder Randal Grichuk is hitting .318/.361/.618 against left-handers.
Anthony Kay has not pitched into the sixth inning in any of his last five starts. Lefties are hitting just .186/.251/.267 against him, and he has a 5.07 ERA on the road. Daniel Lynch IV has a 5.28 ERA in eight starts, but is coming off his best start, throwing five shutout innings against the Astros his last time out.
Erick Fedde has a 2.84 ERA in five career starts against the Royals, but Salvador Perez is 5-for-11 (.455) with a home run against him. He has a 1.57 ERA over his last six starts. Seth Lugo has a 7.35 ERA in nine starts since the start of August, but the Royals are 5-4 in those games. He has a 2.14 ERA against the White Sox in 46.1 career innings.
The White Sox have not yet announced a starter for Thursday, but it is David Sandlin’s turn in the rotation. The former Royals farmhand has struggled in his rookie campaign, giving up five runs in four innings in a loss to the Tigers his last time out. Randy Dobnak lasted just 3.2 innings in his last start, his shortest outing in 14 games with the Royals.
White Sox relievers have a 3.68 ERA, seventh-best in baseball, but they have 30 blown saves, third-most. The team traded closer Seranthony Domínguez away at the deadline, with Grant Taylor and Bryan Hudson sharing closing duties since then. Hudson was claimed off waivers in spring training and is 25th in fWAR among all relievers. Former Arkansas standout and first-round pick Hagen Smith has become a bullpen weapon, with opponents hitting .107/.242/.167 against him. Trevor Richards, who pitched in three games for the Royals in 2025, has the seventh-most relief innings in baseball this year at 77.2.
The White Sox just took three out of four from the Tigers in Chicago, but have a losing record of 8-11 in the month of September. They are 34-44 on the road, the worst road record of any team currently projected to make the postseason. The White Sox have flipped the script from a year ago, and with the postseason within reach, they’ll look to continue their dominance over the Royals this season.
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