Hawk Harrelson’s Return is “Mercy”-Ruled

“You got to be bleepin’ me!” – Ken “The Hawk” Harrelson

Tonight, the White Sox just couldn’t find the same magic they had in their 7-1 victory in the opener. The Kansas City Royals returned the favor on Wednesday, defeating the White Sox, 9-1. Chicago now sits at 63-45 on the season.

It was a frustrating game for Lucas Giolito. The fans could see it in his face. His pitch movement was a no-show, leading to three home runs. The White Sox ace went only four innings, gave up eight hits, and had six earned runs — ending his streak of three quality starts in a row.

There were just as many “dadgummits” coming from Hawk Harrelson in the stands as Royals hits.

Matt Foster came in to relieve Giolito, followed by José Ruíz and Aaron Bummer.

After struggling somewhat in the beginning of the year, Bummer seems to have his groove back. His sinker seems to be moving more than it was in early summer, placing him near the top of the charts when it comes to ground ball rates for pitchers.

Foster and Bummer had great outings, but sandwiched in between them was Ruíz. Like Giolito, Ruíz wasn’t on his usual game, giving up four hits (including a home run) and three earned runs, eliminating the White Sox from comeback territory.

The bright spot for the Sox tonight was José Abreu’s fourth-inning home run off Royals starter, Carlos Hernandez.

The 24-year-old had a great night for Kansas City, giving up only two hits and one run in five innings. In fact, the White Sox would have only four hits on the night.

And as SSS writer Tyrone Palmer pointed out, Eloy Jiménez is not having a great success after coming back from the injured list. He’s got some rust to shake off, and hopefully before we know it he’s back to more “hi moms.” But right now, it’s too soon to determine whether his future involves the letters “D” and “H.”

Dallas Keuchel wraps up the final game of the series against the Royals tomorrow at 7:10 p.m CT. Then, it’s on to the crosstown rivals, the Chicago Cubs.

Hopefully, the next few games are a “can o’ corn.”