The White Sox climbed back to .500, but they can't get over the hump.
Much like tonight, when the White Sox recovered from an early 3-0 deficit, but could never take the lead. Instead, it was a two-run Matt Treanor single that made the difference, as Jake Peavy suffered his second loss of the season in a game he nor the offense deserved to win.
The Sox had some craters in the lineup -- Adam Dunn went 0-for-5 with three strikeouts and five left on base, and Brent Lillibridge overshadowed him by striking out four times and stranding seven.
Peavy's location wasn't great, and he paid for it in the second. With two on, he hung a slider to Alcides Escobar, and he sliced one into the right-center alley that Lillibridge couldn't cut off, resulting in a two-run triple. He came around to score on a sac fly for a quick 3-0 lead.
The Sox scratched their way back into it off Felipe Paulino. Paul Konerko hit his 22nd homer of the year, the first of his three hits on the night. He had his second one inning later with an RBI single through the middle, narrowing the deficit to one. Carlos Quentin followed with his own single through the middle. Chris Getz was able to knock it down to prevent Konerko scoring from second, but with Melky Cabrera in center, I don't know if Jeff Cox would've sent him regardless.
And so the cavalcade of stranded runners began. After a four-pitch walk to A.J. Pierzynski, Lillibridge came to the plate with the bases loaded and struck out on four pitches. Worse yet, he watched two fastballs, and swung at a slider low and away. That officially kickstarted this evening's theme -- terribly timed strikeouts by Team Sombrero.
In the fourth: Dunn swung over an unimpressive slider to strand runners on second and third.
In the fifth: With runners on first and second and one out, Lillibridge struck out on three pitches again (look-look-swing), and Omar Vizquel went down swinging, too.
In the sixth: Dunn couldn't pull the trigger on a fastball down the middle, then watched one off the plate for strike three.
In the seventh: Lillibridge struck out with a runner on second (look-swing-swing). He swung six times, and missed six times overall.
The White Sox were 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position overall, and the Royals were barely better at 2-for-11. But Treanor came up with the well-timed hit the Sox couldn't in the sixth. With two outs and runners on second and third, he got down on a low slider that caught too much of the plate and grounded it between short and third to score two.
Treanor broke the Sox twice last year as a member of the Texas Rangers, and now he's in the division. Wheeeee.
Record: 43-44 | Box score | Play-by-play