After a pretty brutal performance in Game 1 of the doubleheader, the Sox added insult to injury by dropping Game 2 by a score of 2-1. Guardians starter Tristen McKenzie had it going in this one, throwing four wildly effective no-hit innings before being pulled after giving up his first hit in the fifth. The White Sox bats were once again silent as a result, and even as McKenzie left the game, the team was dominated by Cleveland pitching.
Jimmy Lambert took the mound today for Game 2, going 3.2 innings allowing 5 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks, and 5 strikeouts. Lambert gave the Sox all they could ask for from a guy who is filling a spot in a doubleheader. Reynaldo Lopez, Bennett Sousa, Kyle Crick, Aaron Bummer, and Jose Ruiz all came on in relief and combined for 4.1 scoreless innings and six strikeouts while allowing just one hit.
Meanwhile, as you can tell by the score, the offense was once again dreadful. The Sox only scoring a combined 2 runs in 18 innings of baseball today, and have only scored 6 runs in their last 12 games. After running out a questionable lineup to start the game, McKenzie had a no-hitter going through the 5th until Danny Mendick’s RBI Double. In what felt like a pretty accurate representation of the day, Adam Engel attempted to score a second run on the Mendick double, but was thrown out on a questionable send by Joe McEwing at third. That run would be the difference in the ballgame.
Well.. the good thing about baseball is that there is always tomorrow. Clear the game from memory and come back tomorrow and win a ballgame.
Dylan Cease will take the hill for the Sox against righty Zack Plesac as the Sox will try and avoid the series sweep.
W: Anthony Gose (1-0) | L: Jimmy Lambert (0-2)
StatCast Breakdown
Box Score
Offensive Recap:
Pitching Recap:
White Sox Scoring Recap:
Top 5th: Danny Mendick doubled to LF, scoring Reese McGuire. 2-1 Guardians
Notable Performances
Jimmy Lambert: 3.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K’s
Jimmy threw the ball very well today. Only allowing 2 runs is all you can ask for from a guy who is called upon to fill a spot in the rotation. The double that Oscar Mercado hit was a golf shot, and the double by none other than Jose Ramirez were the only two runs that he gave up today. No run support for Jimmy was the story of the day, as he threw the ball pretty well in this one.
The Entire Bullpen: 4.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K’s
In both games today the bullpen was stellar! Truly, they were the only bright spot in today’s doubleheader. Hats off to Ethan Katz, who is doing a phenomenal job developing the arms in the pen. Lopez was sharp in this one, and so was everyone else. Lopez recorded one strikeout in this one. Aaron Bummer had a nice outing, going 0.2 innings striking out 1. Kyle Crick fanned 2 in his outing, along with Bennett Sousa who also fanned 1. Jose Ruiz also came on and threw a scoreless 8th, striking out 1.
Josh Harrison: Left Game with Injury
Josh Harrison was also injured in this one after making a early case for catch of the year.
The Next Matchup
The White Sox will try to right the ship tomorrow afternoon, as Dylan Cease will face off against Zach Plesac in the shortened series finale.
The game will begin at 1 PM CT and can be viewed on NBC Sports Chicago.
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