Insisting they're not a dirty team, the Kansas City Royals are eager to move on from their latest benches-clearing incident, but won't change the way they play the game.
After the teams had an extra day to cool off, the visiting Royals don't expect any further confrontation with the White Sox as they resume Friday's suspended contest before playing their scheduled meeting Sunday.
Rain forced the postponement of Saturday's game, which has yet to be rescheduled, after the clubs played without incident Friday before the 2-2 game was suspended after eight innings due to rain.
In the series opener Thursday, a brawl erupted that resulted in the ejection of five players. Six players were suspended Saturday as a result of the incident, including Kansas City's Edinson Volquez, who will start this matchup as he appeals a five-game ban.
Fellow Royals starter Yordano Ventura was suspended seven games after his heated exchange with Chicago outfielder Adam Eaton sparked the melee.
Kansas City outfielder Lorenzo Cain and reliever Kelvin Herrera were each given two-game bans, while White Sox pitchers Chris Sale and Jeff Samardzija got five games apiece. Herrera is already awaiting an appeal on a five-game suspension handed down after he threw a pitch behind Oakland third baseman Brett Lawrie last weekend.
All the players who were suspended are appealing.
"We understand that Major League Baseball has to do what they think is fair in situations like this," Royals manager Ned Yost said in a team statement. "Now, we just have to wait for the appeals process to play out."
Kansas City coaches and players feel they are not totally to blame for dust-ups with Oakland, the Los Angeles Angels and the brawl with Chicago (6-9).
White Sox manager Robin Ventura, though, feels differently.
"This game's emotional and it seems to follow them around. It's happened often enough," he said. "Everybody gets emotional and reacts to things and that's what happened."
The Royals (12-4), paced by the same hard-nosed, gritty style that helped them win the AL pennant in 2014, believe they've become a target for opponents but won't back down from anyone.
"We're a team that plays hard, plays with emotion," said Cain, one of the players ejected from Thursday's 3-2, 13-inning victory. "Maybe we do need to tone that down a little bit. But at the same time, we're gonna play hard for each other because that's just how we play. That's how we do things."
One-time White Sox prospect Paulo Orlando had three hits for the Royals, who led 2-1 when the rain started in the sixth before Chicago tied it on Melky Cabrera's sacrifice fly in the seventh. David Robertson was warming up and had been announced to pitch for the White Sox in the suspended game, and Chris Young was pitching for the Royals.
Kansas City has won five straight and 15 of 18 against the White Sox. It's also held Chicago to an average of 2.1 runs while taking 16 of the last 19 at U.S. Cellular Field.
After going 13-7 with a 3.04 ERA last year for Pittsburgh, Volquez (2-1, 1.99 ERA) is off to a strong start with Kansas City. That tenure began April 9 when he gave up a run and four hits in eight innings of a 4-1 victory over Chicago.
"It feels good because the way I'm pitching, I'm carrying over everything," said the right-hander, who allowed a run in seven innings of a 7-1 victory over Minnesota on Monday. "Just trying to do what I did last year."
John Danks (0-2, 6.06) opposed Volquez earlier this month and yielded four runs and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings. He went 7-0 with a 2.43 ERA in his first 16 starts against the Royals.
The left-hander, who last dropped his first three decisions in 2011, is coming off perhaps the best of his three outings Monday when he allowed three runs in six innings of a 4-3 victory over Cleveland.
Eric Hosmer is batting .364 against Danks.
Despite being shaken up after falling during a rundown Friday, Chicago's Jose Abreu was 2 for 4 when play was halted. He entered that contest 11 for 25 with 11 RBIs in the previous six games.
Abreu went 1 for 3 with a double against Volquez earlier this month.
