It’s hard to replicate momentum on a consistent basis. One slight misstep can derail all the progress made on a given day.
The Royals were reminded of that on Monday night.
After a hard-fought victory against the Detroit Tigers to close out their homestand Sunday, the Royals rolled into Rate Field looking to string together a few wins against the rebuilding Chicago White Sox.
Advertisement
KC had dominated the teams’ previous 10 meetings this season. They had recorded eight wins against their American League Central rivals, including a three-game sweep at Kauffman Stadium a week ago.
It was a different story Monday. The White Sox shut out the Royals 7-0 in the series opener. The Royals collected just two hits and rookie starting pitcher Noah Cameron was knocked around across five innings.
Cameron surrendered six earned runs and eight hits. It was the most earned runs he has allowed since a June 10 game against the New York Yankees.
“Obviously not good and I’ve got to be better for the team, especially in the first inning,” Cameron said. “I think that kind of sets the tone there for the rest of the game.”
Advertisement
The White Sox were aggressive in the strike zone. Cameron left a lot of pitches up and Chicago didn’t miss, especially early: Edgar Quero, Lenyn Sosa and Curtis Mead all hit RBI doubles in the first inning.
Then Korey Lee and Brooks Baldwin hit back-to-back homers for the White Sox in the fourth. The Royals failed to cut into the deficit at all, with Mike Yastrzemski and Bobby Witt Jr. logging KC’s only hits.
“A crappy fourth inning there just kind of ruined the whole day,” Cameron said. “I’ve just got to be better. I thought I threw a lot of really good pitches that kind of got hit. I also threw some bad pitches that got hit. So, yeah, just got to get better overall.”
Royals pitcher Noah Cameron delivers against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning at Rate Field in Chicago on Monday, Aug. 25, 2025.
Yastrzemski hit a double off White Sox starter Shane Smith. It didn’t faze Smith, as he was sharp throughout the rest of his outing. Witt’s hit was a double with one away and no one on in the ninth inning.
Advertisement
“He was throwing strikes and he was coming after guys,” Yastrzemski said of Smith. “He was just attacking hitters all night and kind of put us on our heels.
“And we just didn’t come out with a whole lot of energy today. Hopefully we recognize that and bounce back tomorrow.”
Smith earned the victory with seven scoreless innings.
With the loss, the Royals (67-65) dropped a half-game in the American League Wild Card standings. They currently sit 3 1/2 games behind the Seattle Mariners.
“That was a bad game all the way around,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “Sometimes that happens. It’s not the way we have been playing and they’ll be ready to play tomorrow.”
Advertisement
Cameron aims for rebound start
It didn’t take long for Cameron to turn the page — not even after taking the loss in one of his roughest starts since arriving from Triple-A Omaha earlier this season.
In fact, he sounded ready to bounce back quickly.
“It’s definitely the mentality,” Cameron said. “Just kind of forget about it. I’m going to learn from it and watch video, you know, see if we were maybe tipping or doing something there.
“We will study this game and move on to the next. Just attack this week like any other week and get ready for the next one.”
Cameron’s next start is expected to be Sunday against the Detroit Tigers at Kauffman Stadium. It will be another big stage against a playoff-bound team.
Advertisement
“It’s on to the next and we will see where we go from here,” Cameron said.
Bobby Witt Jr. extends hitting streak
There weren’t many bright spots for the Royals. However, Witt did extend his hitting streak to 14 games with a double in the ninth inning.
Witt leads the majors this season with 41 doubles. He also has 64 extra-base hits, which ranks third among qualified AL players.
He also now has the longest current hitting streak in the majors. It’s Witt’s 10th career streak of at least 10 games, and he has hit .407 with 14 runs during this one.
What’s next: The Royals continue their three-game series against the White Sox at Rate Field. On Tuesday, KC right-handed pitcher Michael Lorenzen (5-8, 4.50 ERA) will start opposite left-hander Martin Perez (1-3, 2.51 ERA), with first pitch scheduled for 6:40 p.m. Central Time.