Kauffman Curse: Royals Blank White Sox 2-0 for Second Straight Night to Take Series .v1

KANSAS CITY — There is something in the Missouri air that has turned the White Sox’s potent bats into ice. For the second consecutive afternoon at Kauffman Stadium, the Chicago White Sox were silenced in a 2-0 defeat to the Kansas City Royals. The loss marks a sobering end to the road trip, as the Royals secured the series victory by effectively putting the South Side offense in a straightjacket.

The game was a haunting carbon copy of Saturday’s performance. The White Sox pitching staff, led by a gutsy effort from the rotation, gave the team every opportunity to win. However, the bats failed to produce a single run for the 18th consecutive inning. The “Kauffman Curse” seemed to manifest in every deep fly ball that died at the warning track and every hard-hit grounder that found a Royals glove.

The frustration reached a boiling point in the top of the seventh. With Colson Montgomery on second and Munetaka Murakami on first after a pair of walks, the Sox had their best chance to break the scoreless tie. But the Royals’ bullpen, which has been a fortress all weekend, induced a heart-breaking double play that drained the energy from the dugout.

“We’re getting the runners on, but we aren’t getting them home,” said Manager Will Venable. “It’s April. The weather is cold, the ball isn’t traveling, but that’s no excuse. You have to find a way to manufacture a run when your pitchers are holding the opponent to two. We didn’t do that today.”

The loss was particularly stinging because it wasted another solid defensive outing. The Sox defense, which has been a bright spot in the early season, turned two spectacular double plays to keep the game within reach. But against a Royals staff that seems to have solved the “Murakami Puzzle,” the White Sox left Kansas City with more questions than answers.