Danny Duffy handed the baseball to his manager and began the lonely walk back to the dugout, 40 paces or so on a cool Tuesday night at Kauffman Stadium.
For five-plus innings in a 6-0 loss to the Chicago White Sox, Duffy had labored and battled. He struggled to finish off hitters. His command lacked its finest polish. The final result was a night of blunted momentum, another loss after a cathartic victory on Monday, a missed opportunity with the Royals’ left-handed ace on the mound.
One night after burying a nine-game losing streak, the Royals’ most visible flaws surfaced again against a division rival.