KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jose Abreu didn’t have any difficulty on Monday afternoon defining why the Kansas City Royals have had so much success the last few seasons. He also said the White Sox come up short in the same department, namely the drive to win.

The White Sox first baseman said after Monday’s 8-3 loss to the Royals, the team’s 14th defeat in 19 meetings against their American League Central rivals, that Kansas City simply has a strong desire to win. Abreu, who became the first player in White Sox history to hit 25 homers in his first three seasons, flatly said “no,” his team doesn’t possess the same desire as the Royals. Perhaps in an attempt to not point fingers, Abreu also said through an interpreter: “I think it begins with me.”

“I think it’s desire,” Abreu said. “It’s desire to win. It’s their hunger to win games and to be good. For me, that is the main point for them.”

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Even with Abreu, who blasted a game-tying homer off Yordano Ventura in the fourth inning, Kansas City has owned the White Sox the past three seasons. The Royals improved to 39-18 against the Sox since 2014 as they pulled away in the bottom of the fourth with four runs off Carlos Rodon. The win was the third straight for the defending World Series winners, who won all six series between the teams this season. The White Sox have lost seven consecutive series against Kansas City, their last win coming last September.

In between have been a number of disappointments, including three consecutive back-breaking losses at Kauffman Stadium in late May. Asked how the White Sox can improve upon that lack of desire, Abreu said he didn’t know.

“They always have been a very competitive team, a very tough team,” Abreu said. “It’s tough playing against them because you have to play perfect. They have all the ingredients to be a successful team, and I think everybody has seen that. They won the World Series last year, and they are a very tough team.”