Missouri-bred battery fails to spark Royals, White Sox earn rare win at Kauffman Stadium

Missouri-bred battery fails to spark Royals, White Sox earn rare win at Kauffman Stadium originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Kansas City Royals turned to a pair of Missouri natives Sunday, but the home-state battery failed to provide the usual spark against the Chicago White Sox.

With pitcher Noah Cameron throwing to catcher Carter Jensen, the franchise marked the first time two state-bred athletes formed a battery at Kauffman Stadium since 1979, when pitcher Steve Mingori and catcher Darrell Porter did so.

The festivities were put on hold as rain delayed the first pitch for about three hours.

When Cameron and Jensen finally took the field, it didn't take long for the White Sox to halt a 21.2-inning scoreless streak. Tanner Muray, a 26-year-old rookie, connected on a two-run home run in the second inning.

Cameron lasted until the sixth inning, departing with the bases loaded and one out.

The state connection failed to provide a lift as the White Sox countered with eight relievers, earning a rare 6-5 win in Missouri.

White Sox pile up relief at Kansas City

Backed by Murray's first career homer and Colson Montgomery's blast, the White Sox secured the win when Dustin Harris scored on a wild pitch by John Schreiber (0-2).

Following back-to-back 2-0 losses to the Royals, the White Sox broke out and scored more than three runs for the first time in eight games. The loss prevented the Royals from capturing their eighth consecutive series win versus the White Sox. The teams split the four-game series.

Cameron, a St. Joseph, Missouri, native who placed fourth in AL Rookie of the Year voting last season, yielded five runs on six hits Sunday, raising his earned-run average to 3.94.

Jensen, a Kansas City native, went 2-for-4 with an RBI.

The in-state battery faced a club that entered Sunday 0-for-30 with runners in scoring position during their previous five outings.

There just wasn't much of a spark.