Lance Lynn didn’t have much swagger while he was pitching poorly for much of this season.
The White Sox haven’t had much either.
“When we start winning some games, that’s when the swagger comes back,” Lynn said Wednesday after pitching six innings of one-run ball in a 4-1 Sox victory over the Royals at Guaranteed Rate Field. “It’s hard to have swagger when you’re playing like s—-, to be honest with you.”
General manager Rick Hahn said Tuesday he wants to see the swagger return, and seeing Lynn be more of the Cy Young caliber pitcher he was last season than the one who owns a 5.87 ERA this season will the Sox walk the swaggy walk. Lynn had late life on his pitches Wednesday, didn’t walk a batter while striking out eight and overcame a one hour, five minute rain delay.
“After the rain delay it seemed to spike there [in velocity and life on my pitches],” Lynn said. “Hopefully it’s something that stays. Just needed a rain delay of an hour to [tick] me off, I don’t know what it was.”
It was Lynn’s 10th start since June 13 when his season started, the late start due to knee surgery. He has walked one batter over his last four starts.
“Hopefully we’re back to somewhat normal,” he said.
What wasn’t normal was the delay. Lynn threw twice in the tunnel, rode a bike and used hot packs to keep his arm and body warm.
“I’m too old to sit down,” the 35-year-old veteran said.
Lynn (2-4), who threw 89 pitches, improved to 5-0 with a 1.08 ERA over his last five starts against the Royals.
“He mixed it up with hard sink, hard cut, and just didn’t give you the same look much two times in a row,” Royals manager Mike Matheney said. “He was at the top of the zone all game, too. He kept us off balance and didn’t give us much.”
The Sox took two of three games from the Royals to win consecutive home series for the first time since taking the Rays and Mariners in April.
Robert plan for Texas
Luis Robert was activated from the injured list Tuesday but likely won’t see his first action until Thursday when the team opens a four-game series at the Rangers.
Manager Tony La Russa said the plan for Robert is to DH Thursday, play center field Friday, rest Saturday and play center field Sunday.
Sheets scratched
Right fielder Gavin Sheets bruised his ankle banging into the wall in Tuesday’s 9-2 win over the Royals and was scratched from the lineup Wednesday. He is day-to-day.
“They worked on it, he’s less than 100 percent so I guess he can pinch-hit,” La Russa said.
AJ Pollock started in right field.
This and that
Left-hander Jake Diekman, the only Sox acquisition at the trade deadline, pitched his second perfect inning in two games since joining the team. Diekman struck out two on Tuesday and Wednesday.
*Liam Hendriks recorded his 12th straight save since May 16 at Kansas City.
*Yasmani Grandal (.192/.287/.236 hitting line), who did not play Wednesday, was 0-for-16 on the home stand and is hitless in his last 18 at-bats. Thirty-five of Grandal’s 40 hits are singles.
