KANSAS CITY – It looked like his effort on the mound was about to cap a great series for the White Sox at Kauffman Stadium.
Dallas Keuchel, the team’s No. 2 starter, was rolling right along against Royals hitters in the first five innings in an efficient 49 pitches.
But to his, the teams, and the fan’s frustration, an injury prevented him from finishing what looked to be one of his best performances of the season.
Keuchel left the game after taking a warm-up pitch in the bottom of the sixth inning and left the field with an athletic trainer. The team later released that he was dealing with lower back stiffness and is day-to-day.
It’s a blow for a White Sox pitching staff that has some questions at the bottom of the rotation and so far had been anchored by Keuchel in the second spot and Lucas Giolito at the top. In his first season in Chicago, Keuchel was 5-2 with a 2.42 ERA in his eight starts before Sunday with 30 strikeouts compared to 12 walks.
