The White Sox Just Hit .500 and Anthony Kay Knows Exactly Why the Royals Can't Stop Them

The Chicago White Sox are playing the kind of baseball that makes you stop and pay attention. They're sitting at 21-21, which might not sound like much, but here's the thing: they haven't been .500 this deep into a season since 2022. And they got here by winning 10 of their last 14 games. On Thursday night, Anthony Kay takes the ball again as Chicago tries to sweep Kansas City in a three-game series that could keep this surge rolling.

The Power Lineup That Won't Let Anyone Breathe

Kay pitched the White Sox to victory to start their current four-game winning streak, and he's got plenty of reasons to feel confident. Last Saturday, he threw five innings of one-run ball in a 6-1 win over the Mariners. The guy knows how to get outs when his offense is clicking, and right now, his offense is absolutely clicking.

Miguel Vargas has homered twice in the series. Colson Montgomery went deep as well, and he's got 11 homers on the season. First baseman Munetaka Murakami leads the club with 15 home runs. When Kay was asked about the depth of power, he didn't sugarcoat it: "They've all been great. It's just going to lead to all of them having success. You've got to pitch to at least one of them. It's going to be fun to watch."

That's the confidence of a pitcher who knows he's got an offense that can carry him through tough spots. Montgomery had three hits in Wednesday's win, including a solo homer in the seventh, to help Chicago hold on.

Kansas City Refuses to Pack It In

The Royals have lost five of their last seven games, but they're not going quietly. After falling 6-5 to the White Sox in each of the first two games of this series, Bobby Witt Jr. delivered a two-run home run with two outs in the ninth on Wednesday night to keep it close. He's homered in consecutive games and is batting .478 (11-for-23) with four homers and six RBIs in his past six contests.

Kansas City manager Matt Quatraro wasn't sulking about the loss. "It gets us back in the game. I mean, we're one swing away from tying it up. That's why you can never count us out, never pack it in. You've got to keep fighting every at-bat, because you don't know which one is going to be the difference maker." Even reserve catcher Carter Jensen, who entered as a pinch hitter in the seventh, chipped in with two hits on a night the Royals managed just five total.

Kay vs. Bubic, and Why Thursday Matters

Kay (2-1, 4.89 ERA) is 1-1 with a 4.00 ERA in two career starts against Kansas City. The Royals counter with Kris Bubic (3-1, 3.50 ERA), who's been dominant against Chicago before. Back on April 10, Bubic threw seven shutout innings with just two hits allowed and 11 strikeouts in a 2-0 Kansas City win. In May, he's 1-0 with a 2.84 ERA in two starts, though he fell one out short of a quality start against Detroit on Friday.

The White Sox are riding confidence. The Royals are riding Witt Jr.'s bat and the belief that they're never out of it. Thursday night tells us a lot about who's got real momentum heading into the back half of May.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.