Dream game: White Sox go up 10-0 in the first, cruise to a win

The Chicago White Sox busted out to a 10-0 lead in the first inning on Wednesday at Surprise Stadium, cruising to a 16-0 drubbing of the Kansas City Royals.

Adam Engel, having another of his patented massive springs, led off the game with a solo shot, then clubbed a grand slam as the White Sox batted around off of K.C starter Foster Griffin. Seby Zavala homered in-between Engel’s clouts, and after the right fielder’s grand slam, Nick Madrigal poked a ball to right field that just got out, for a two-run blast that would close the top of the first, 10-0.

While the Chicago 9 immediately shifted to cruise mode and subbed out several players by the fourth inning, the offensive onslaught made one more barrage in the sixth, with a smooth six runs. There, a three-run blast by Gavin Sheets followed by a solo clout from Blake Rutherford accounted for most of the scoring.

Matt Tomshaw started and Tyler Johnson ended the game in dominating style, while in-between it was Carson Fulmer righting the ship. Overall, the White Sox pitching handcuffed a Kansas City split squad and returned south to Camelback with an empty beer cooler after a rollicking bus ride home after the rout.

So, there was also a real game today, and while it got off to a nice start (including, yes, an Engel homer of the three-run variety), the pitching was mostly horrible and a K.C. split squad came back on the White Sox for a 7-6 win.

Thankfully, there is no video evidence of this game, so in our hearts it can be no more real than our pretend game above.

Tomshaw did pitch well, going two innings with two Ks and a hit. But from there, until Johnson came through with a sweet eighth, it was horrendous. Fulmer was about as good as we can hope at this point, an earned run off three hits over two innings. José Ruiz, apparently feeling bad about his status as the best option for the last spot in the pen (over Fulmer), gave up the ghost to the tune of three earned, four hits, and a walk in his inning. And Zach Thompson blew the save — yes, the White Sox were still in control of the game 4-2 when Thompson entered with none out in the sixth — with a woeful two runs (one earned), two hits and one walk in two-thirds of an inning.

This reality stuff sucks, man.

On the hitting side, we might enter high alert with Micker Adolfo, because he struck out three times in the cleanup spot today and is suffering an early tailspin. Daniel Palka was up two times — two Ks. The team, after largely avoiding the awful Ks per BB that have been a calling card the past couple of seasons, took 14 Ks against seven walks today, its worst showing yet this spring. And there were no extra-base hits — against a split-squad Royals staff, mind you — beyond Engel’s homer. But at least Andrew Vaughn walked twice.

Next up, back at Camelback Ranch to host Seattle on Thursday, a 2:05 CT start that will stream on whitesox.com.