Ian Kennedy pressed his right foot against the carpet of the Royals clubhouse, attempting to show the source of the discomfort. He mimicked a pitcher pushing off a rubber. He pointed to the inside of his right thigh, where his hamstring had grabbed and pulled after one pitch in the fifth inning.
“Like cramping,” Kennedy said Thursday afternoon, a few minutes after an 8-3 loss to the Chicago White Sox at Kauffman Stadium.
What had begun as a disappointing start, a rickety performance in a series finale, had turned more severe after Kennedy hurled a 92 mph fastball to White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu in the top of the fifth inning.