KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Interstat) — In a brisk pitchers’ duel defined by missed opportunities and a single swing of the bat, the Kansas City Royals edged the Chicago White Sox 2-0 on Saturday afternoon at Kauffman Stadium before a crowd of 16,214.

The game, which lasted just 1 hour and 56 minutes, saw the Royals’ Michael Wacha outduel Chicago’s Erick Fedde, with both starters allowing only four hits apiece. The victory gave Kansas City the series lead after the teams split the first two games.

The most critical moment of the contest came on the game’s very first pitch from Fedde. Royals leadoff hitter Maikel Garcia jumped on it, driving a line-drive home run over the left-center field wall to give Kansas City an immediate 1-0 lead. That solitary run stood for the majority of the evening, casting a shadow over every White Sox at-bat.

Chicago threatened immediately in response when Andrew Benintendi laced a two-out double in the top of the first, but Wacha stranded him. The White Sox’s best chance to equalize came in the seventh inning. After a leadoff groundout, Lenyn Sosa drilled a double into the left-field corner, representing the tying run. Wacha, however, bore down, getting Dustin Harris to pop out and Tristan Peters to ground out to second, extinguishing the threat and ending his night.

Wacha earned the win, improving to 2-0. He pitched seven shutout innings, walking one and striking out five. His performance was a masterclass in efficiency and damage control.

Fedde was nearly as sharp for Chicago but was saddled with the loss, falling to 0-3. He worked six strong innings, allowing just the one run on Garcia’s homer and three other hits, walking one and striking out four. He worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the second inning after a single and a hit-by-pitch, getting Garcia to ground out to end the threat.

The Royals provided a crucial insurance run in the eighth against the White Sox bullpen. Garcia again was the catalyst, leading off with a ground-rule double. He advanced to third on a Bobby Witt Jr. flyout and then scored on a sacrifice fly by Vinnie Pasquantino, making it 2-0.

Lucas Erceg closed the door in the ninth for Kansas City, working a perfect frame to secure his fifth save of the season. The White Sox, who challenged a strike-three call on Benintendi in the ninth only to see it upheld, went down in order.

The game was a stark contrast to the pregame projection from Interstat, which had forecast a 4-3 White Sox victory. The combined two runs fell dramatically under an over/under line of 9, underscoring the dominant pitching. Kansas City’s win probability, per the same service’s ELO system, was listed at 65.5%.

With the loss, the White Sox fell to 5-10 on the young season, continuing a sluggish start. The Royals evened their record at 7-8.

The two teams conclude their four-game series on Sunday.