Home » Articles » Royals 2, White Sox 0: Nastrini solid in debut, offense falters again

Royals 2, White Sox 0: Nastrini solid in debut, offense falters again

by Tim Moran

Amidst a miserable start to the season, Nick Nastrini entered Monday as a breath of fresh air for Sox fans. Facing that pressure, he did his job, tossing five innings of two-run ball and escaping a bases-loaded jam to end the outing. But Chicago’s offense continued its historic struggles as the team fell 2-0 to Kansas City nonetheless.

W:  Seth Lugo (3-0) | L: Nick Nastrini (0-1) | S: James McArthur (3)


Statcast Breakdown


Box Score

Offensive Recap (soon to be named Lack-of-offense Recap):

Pitching Recap:


Notable Performances

Nick Nastrini (SP): 5 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 5 K

The South Siders’ eighth overall prospect according to MLB Pipeline, Nastrini started his career blazing hot from the mound. He retired the first eleven batters he faced before surrendering a home run to Vinnie Pasquantino and one inning later, an RBI single to Kyle Isbel.

Nastrini was a few feet away from allowing a grand slam with two outs in the fifth, but center fielder Dominic Fletcher hauled the fly ball in to preserve a decent outing. Moving forward, the right-hander will look to improve against lineups the second time through the order.

Jordan Leasure (RP): 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K

Nastrini’s counterpart in the Lance Lynn trade last season, Leasure has looked phenomenal to start the 2024 campaign.

Michael Kopech (RP): 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 2 K

Dazzling again, the starter-turned reliever continued to lean on a 100-mph-plus heater to dominate opposing hitters.

Andrew Benintendi (LF): 4 AB, 2 H, 2 1B

Would this normally be notable? Absolutely not. But for Benintendi, the franchise’s most expensive signing who boasted an OPS under .350 entering the game, two hits is a monumental improvement.


Next Matchup

The South Siders face off against the Royals once more tomorrow night at 6:40 pm. Intriguingly, Chicago will debut another starting pitcher, this time Jonathan Cannon. The 23-year-old, a 2021 third-round pick from Georgia, will square off against Brady Singer.

Tune in on NBC Sports Chicago.


Follow us @SoxOn35th for more throughout the season!

Featured Image: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

0 Comments
Most Voted
Newest Oldest
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

You may also like