Nick Madrigal didn’t get much sleep Saturday night.
The Chicago White Sox second baseman was hitless in his first two games after being promoted to the majors Friday.
“I felt like I was seeing the ball pretty well, just nothing to show for it,” Madrigal said Sunday. “I tried to stay positive. I wasn’t getting down at all. Kind of just thinking it’s going to come around.”
Madrigal broke through in a big way Sunday, going 4-for-5 with two runs and one RBI in a 9-2 victory against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium.
“Once I saw that first one fall, I felt the weight lifted off me definitely,” Madrigal said.
The Sox collected 14 hits on the way to completing a sweep of the three-game series in Kansas City, Mo. They won their fourth consecutive game to improve to 5-4 and are over the .500 mark for the first time this season.
Madrigal, the No. 4 pick in the 2018 draft, served as a spark for the offense Sunday.
“His approach has been making adjustments to everything,” Sox manager Rick Renteria said. “I think he was a little calmer, and after the first hit he was much more relaxed. When you get to the big leagues, you want to get that one out of the way. And everyone was extremely ecstatic for him. It loosened him up.”
Madrigal singled sharply to right off Royals starter Jakob Junis in the third for the first hit of his career.
“It’s something I was thinking about and it’s a huge of sigh of relief once I got the first one,” Madrigal said.
It got the ball rolling. He singled to center in the fifth and scored on a bases-loaded walk by Yasmani Grandal.
Madrigal singled to right in the seventh and showcased good instincts, going from first to third on Luis Robert’s bloop single to left.
“That’s one of the things, getting on base, seeing where the outfielders are,” Madrigal said. “With this park, it’s a big park so they play a little bit deeper. I had that in the back of my mind. Off the bat I knew it was off the end of the bat and it would be a tough play for (Royals left fielder Alex Gordon) to come in. I had a good read off it.
“I thought that was a big play in the game, trying to get to third base and break the tie.”
Jose Abreu drove in Madrigal with a single to center to give the Sox a 3-2 lead.
Madrigal batted a second time in the seven-run seventh and drove in the team’s final run with a single to center.
The Sox received production throughout the lineup. Grandal had three hits and three RBIs. Abreu and Edwin Encarnacion had two hits apiece. Nicky Delmonico drove in two runs with a single.
“You can see how much talent is on the roster, and to be out there with those guys, it’s a lot of fun,” Madrigal said. “I really don’t even think all of us are clicking at once yet. It has been glimpses of some guys getting hot, but I’m excited once everyone kind of takes on the same game and there’s a lot to look forward to.”
One reason for the team’s quick turnaround has been improved starting pitching.
That continued with Dylan Cease, who allowed two runs on five hits with four strikeouts and one walk in six innings.
“The biggest thing was I was a little bit more under control, made sure I wasn’t rushing on the mound and just trying to be aggressive,” Cease said.
Cease allowed four runs and lasted just 2? innings in the first game of a doubleheader Tuesday against the Cleveland Indians. He bounced back Sunday.
“Whether it was first-game nerves or whatever, we have to be better as a staff,” Cease said. “Dallas (Keuchel) has done a really good job of setting the tone and then (Lucas) Giolito did what he did (six shutout innings Wednesday against the Indians).
“If we execute pitches and if we don’t give free baserunners chances to score, then we’re going to be in a good spot.”
