Blue Jays 5, White Sox 4: South Siders Drop Doubleheader

The Blue Jays have a very potent offense featuring the likes of Bo Bichette, Vlad Guerrero Jr., and George Springer. If someone had said that Lance Lynn, Jesse Scholtens, and Bryan Shaw would put together thirteen innings and cede only four runs to them over the course of a doubleheader, it’s reasonable to think the White Sox would win at least one, if not both, of those games. That was not the case today, as the White Sox squandered a fantastic start by Lynn and a respectable bullpen day from Sholtens and Shaw.

The less to be said about the first game’s offensive output, the better. The White Sox only recorded two hits before extra innings, when a six spot by the Blue Jays in the 11th doomed their chances.

Let’s focus on the pitching, then. Lance Lynn was terrific, striking out 11 and giving up no runs over seven innings of work. It has been great to see this Lynn pop up a bit more often lately, and it would be a welcome sight to see him turn this type of start into a strong second half. Gregory Santos, Kendall Graveman, and Reynaldo Lopez all notched a scoreless inning each to give the White Sox a great opportunity to win this game, but the offense was not up to the task.

Game two was just as frustrating. Scholtens and Shaw put together six innings and only allowed four runs. While not dominant, this is a solid outing against an impressive offense, especially for a bullpen game. An Eloy Jimenez home run in the third made it seem like the White Sox just might split the doubleheader. However, after only getting one run from a first and third situation with nobody out in the fifth, things did not feel as steady. Whit Merrifield hit his second home run of the game to tie it in the sixth, and Guerrero Jr. followed in the seventh with an RBI double to take the lead.

The ninth inning brought three separate glimmers of hope. Andrew Vaughn, Jake Burger, and Yasmani Grandal all seemed to hammer balls hard to center field. However, none left the ballpark, leading to a 5-4 loss.

This pair of losses push the White Sox to a staggering fifteen games below .500 at 37-52.

W: Jay Jackson (1-0), L: Nick Padilla (0-1)

Statcast Breakdown

Box Score

Offensive Recap:

Game 1:

Game 2:

Pitching Recap:

Game 1:

Game 2:

White Sox Scoring Recap:

Game 1:

• Bottom 11th: Colas doubled to right, Burger scored. 6-1 Blue Jays
• Bottom 11th: Vaughn singled to right, Colas scored. 6-2 Blue Jays

Game 2:

• Bottom 3rd: Anderson singled to left. Benintendi scored. Tied 1-1
• Bottom 3rd: Jimenez homered to right. Anderson scored. 3-1 White Sox
• Bottom 5th: Anderson grounded into a double play. Zavala scored. 4-2 White Sox

Notable Performances

Lance Lynn: 7 IP H, BB, 11 K

Lynn had a great start in game one of this doubleheader. He was in control from the jump, only allowing two baserunners over seven innings pitched. He also added another double-digit strikeout performance. Hopefully, this is the version of Lance Lynn we continue to see moving forward.

Eloy Jimenez: 1-for-4, HR, 2 RBI

While Jimenez went hitless in the first game, so did most of the White Sox offense. In the second, he came through with an important home run to give the White Sox a two-run lead. Unfortunately, when he came up to bat in the eighth with the tying run in scoring position, he grounded out to second.

Andrew Benintendi: 2-for-4, R, 2B

Benintendi was a part of both White Sox scoring efforts. He doubled and scored in the third, and singled to get Seby Zavala over to third in the fifth.

Next Matchup

The White Sox stay in Chicago for their final series before the All-Star break against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Dylan Cease will take the mound for the White Sox, while Jordan Montgomery will do the same for the Cardinals.

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Featured Image: Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports