Despite a strong pitching performance from Jonathan Cannon, the White Sox's offense sputtered for most of the night before a late rally agonizingly fell short.
Cannon found himself in immediate trouble in the first inning. Two singles put runners on the corners with only one out, threatening an early Royals lead. But the righthander showed composure, inducing a momentum-killing double play off the bat of perennial White Sox nemesis Salvador Pérez to escape the jam unscathed. He allowed three additional hits over the subsequent three innings, but Kansas City remained scoreless.
However, the dam finally broke in the bottom of the fifth.