The Chicago White Sox began their crucial six-game road trip with a dud. Unfortunately, there is no better way to describe the performance tonight without sugarcoating it. Lance Lynn started the ball game and was hit hard right out of the gate. He surrendered a pair of two-run home runs in the opening frame, the first to Will Smith and the second to David Peralta. Lynn’s issues with the long ball have been a persistent problem in 2023. While he settled in to toss four scoreless innings after the ugly first inning, his ERA still rose as a result of the mediocre outing (from 6.72 to 6.75).
After grabbing the early 4-0 lead, Los Angeles never looked back.
On the hitting side of the equation, the Sox were stymied all night by Dodgers’ All-Star starting pitcher, Tony Gonsolin. They were only able to muster two hits off the right-hander, who displayed his impressive control and pitch arsenal all night. Chicago was able to avoid a shutout after an Andrew Vaughn double led to a Yasmani Grandal RBI sacrifice fly in the ninth inning. It ultimately proved to be a moot point, however, as Clint Frazier‘s groundout ended the game a few pitches later.
With the loss, the White Sox fall to 29-39 and are now 5.5 games behind the AL-Central leading Minnesota Twins.
W: Tony Gonsolin (4-1) | L: Lance Lynn (4-7)
Statcast Breakdown
Box Score
Offensive Recap:
Pitching Recap:
White Sox Scoring Recap:
- Top of the 9th: Grandal hit a sacrifice fly to center. Vaughn scored. 5-1 Dodgers.
Notable Performances
Andrew Vaughn: 2-for-4, 2B, R
Vaughn was essentially the only hitter tonight to provide a solid effort at the dish. With the two-hit performance, his batting average jumped from .244 to .248 and he claimed the team lead in doubles (19).
Garrett Crochet: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 3 K
Crochet’s stuff looked lively tonight, as evident by his six swinging strikes recorded and his fastball regularly touching 97+ mph. He punched out three Dodgers in two innings, a welcomed sight as he continues to shake off the rust after returning from a serious arm injury (Tommy John Surgery).
Next Matchup
The White Sox square off again versus the Dodgers on Wednesday night. For the second and final time in 2023, Chicago will be aired on national television, as ESPN will broadcast the mid-week matchup in Los Angeles.
Dodgers’ stalwart Clayton Kershaw is slated to toe the rubber against White Sox right-hander Mike Clevinger.
The first pitch is scheduled for 9:10 PM CST.
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Featured Image: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
