Keller fans 9, but Royals fall late in Chicago

Keller fans 9, but Royals fall late in Chicago

August 2nd, 2018

CHICAGO -- With each start, Royals rookie right-hander seems bring something new to the table.
On Thursday afternoon, Keller dominated the White Sox for 6 1/3 innings and finished with a career-high nine strikeouts. Kansas City's bullpen surrendered a 3-2 lead, giving up four in the eighth inning, and Chicago prevailed, 6-4, at Guaranteed Rate Field.
Keller gave up five hits and three walks, allowing two earned runs.
"He threw the ball extremely well," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "I thought he did a phenomenal job to keep us in the game."

Keller's four-seamer touched 95 mph. He also used an effective two-seam fastball in holding Chicago to one run through six innings. But Keller seemed to lose his feel in the seventh, walking two before Yost brought in reliever .
"I definitely felt back to where I was [earlier in the season], down in the zone, pounding the zone," Keller said. "I felt like the sinker was one of my better pitches today. Got a lot of swings and misses on it. Lot of movement."
Keller got a boost from recently acquired center fielder , who made two dazzling plays. First, he threw out trying to tag and score from third on a laser throw measured at 100.1 mph, per Statcast™, after grabbing a fly ball off the bat of .
"That was a rocket," Keller said. "I was standing right there and thought, '[The runner] is hosed.'"

Added Yost, "[Phillips] showed off his tremendous arm in center. It was really interesting, because I saw the play and thought, 'Give this a shot. I want to see.' He played it perfectly. I really like what I see in that kid. He knows what he's doing out there."
One inning later, Phillips made a headlong dive and catch while charging on a liner from . Statcast™ judged that a four-star catch with a 47 percent catch probability.
Whit Merrifield gave Kansas City a 3-2 lead with a three-run pinch-hit home run in the eighth inning, the Royals' first pinch-hit home run since Aug. 18, 2014 (when did it).

But gave up a game-tying home run to in the eighth. then hit a three-run home run off later in the inning.
SOUND SMART
Kansas City shortstop was flying on his bunt single in the eighth, recording the eighth-fastest home-to-first time in the Majors this year at 31.0 feet per second sprint speed. He now owns the Royals' five fastest home-to-first speeds in Statcast™ history.

UP NEXT
Right-hander (0-1, 3.29 ERA) takes the mound for the Royals as they open a three-game set in Minnesota on Friday at 7:10 p.m. CT to conclude a three-city road trip. Right-hander Jake Odorizzi (4-7, 4.58 ERA) will pitch for the Twins. Fillmyer gave up five hits and three runs over five innings Saturday at Yankee Stadium.