Bobby Witt Jr. went 3-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs to lift the host Kansas City Royals to a 7-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Friday night in the opener of a three-game series.
Witt scored twice and also walked as Kansas City won for the fifth time in seven games. Michael Massey also drove in two runs for the Royals.
The White Sox, who own the worst record in the majors, lost their fifth straight game and eighth in their last nine.
Kansas City starter Michael Wacha (7-6) won his third straight start by logging seven scoreless innings. He gave up four hits, walking one and striking out seven.
Chicago starter Chris Flexen (2-9) struggled with his control in the fifth, allowing the Royals to break the game open.
Maikel Garcia and Kyle Isbel drew walks to open the frame before Adam Frazier dropped a sacrifice bunt down to move Garcia to third and Isbel to second. Flexen then walked Witt, and Vinnie Pasquantino followed with a sacrifice fly to put Kansas City up 3-0.
After Salvador Perez was intentionally walked, Flexen hit Hunter Renfroe with a pitch to force in another run. Massey lined a two-run single to right to chase Flexen from the game, with Chad Kuhl taking over in relief.
Freddy Fermin then capped the five-run rally with a run-scoring base hit, making it 7-0.
Flexen was tagged for seven runs and four hits in his 4 2/3 innings. He issued five walks and fanned four.
Korey Lee got a run back for the White Sox with a two-out solo shot in the eighth. Tommy Pham doubled and singled for Chicago.
Infielder Brooks Baldwin — who played second base on Friday — had his contract selected from Triple-A Charlotte ahead of the game and made his major league debut against the Royals. He went 1-for-3 with a single while hitting out of the eight-hole.
Witt got Kansas City going, cranking a solo home run in the home half of the first before driving in Garcia with a single in the third. Witt, who lost in the final of Monday’s Home Run Derby, has gone deep 17 times this season.