The Kansas City Royals rolled to a 10-4 victory over the Chicago White Sox at Surprise Stadium on Sunday in spring training action. Luca Tresh paced the offense, going 1-for-1 with a home run and two RBI, giving the coaching staff plenty to be encouraged about as the exhibition schedule continues. On the mound, Cole Ragans turned in a solid outing, working 3.2 innings of 2-run ball with five strikeouts. The Royals finished with 13 hits on the day while holding the Sox to 9. The victory gives the Royals positive momentum heading into the final stretch of spring training. The coaching staff will look to build on the strong showing in the games ahead.
Key Performers
Luca Tresh was the top performer at the plate, going 1-for-1 with a home run and two RBI. His ability to drive the ball out of the park was the highlight of the afternoon. Performances like this give the Royals confidence that the lineup is rounding into form.
Peyton Wilson provided support, going 1-for-1 with a home run and two RBI, Gavin Cross also contributed, going 1-for-2 with a double and three RBI, and Brandon Drury chipped in, going 1-for-3 with a home run and an RBI. The depth of production throughout the lineup was encouraging to see.
On the other side of the diamond, Dustin Harris led the Sox offense with a 1-for-1 with an RBI day. Edgar Quero also contributed, going 1-for-4 with an RBI. Miguel Vargas added a 2-for-2 with two doubles effort as well. Despite those contributions, the Royals pitching staff did enough to limit the damage and secure the victory.
On the Mound
Cole Ragans got the start, putting together a workmanlike effort, working 3.2 innings while allowing 2 earned runs on 4 hits with five strikeouts. He threw 63 pitches in the outing. It was a useful learning experience as the Royals evaluate their pitching depth heading into the regular season.
The bullpen was sharp, combining for 5.1 scoreless innings while striking out seven. Spring training gives the coaching staff a chance to evaluate bullpen depth, and today was an encouraging showing from the relievers. Each reliever is auditioning for a roster spot, and innings like these factor into those decisions.
Among the relievers, Matt Strahm stood out with 1.0 innings of scoreless work, striking out two. His performance was one of the day's bright spots from the bullpen.
How It Happened
Sox got on the board first with a run in the first inning. Sox pushed across a run in the third. The Royals struck back with a run in the third. The Royals added a run in the fourth. The Royals tacked on a run in the fifth. The Royals pushed across five runs in the seventh. Sox struck back with two runs in the eighth. The Royals answered with two runs in the eighth. The Royals spread their scoring across five different innings, applying consistent pressure throughout the game. The Royals out-hit Sox 13-9 on the day, with 3 errors committed between the two clubs. A crowd of 7,455 was on hand to take in the action.
Looking Ahead
As the exhibition schedule nears its conclusion, the Royals can point to this game as a step in the right direction. The combination of solid pitching and timely hitting is exactly what the coaching staff hopes to see at this stage of the spring. The focus now shifts to maintaining this level of play with the regular season just around the corner.