Pain.
For the second night in a row, the Cleveland Indians walk off the White Sox. Jordan Luplow, who had just one home run entering the game, hit his second long ball of the season to knock the Sox out of first place. Gilotio-Bieber was as advertised, but neither went home as the winning pitcher. The two aces combined for 21 strikeouts and two earned runs, both belonging to Lucas Giolito.
The White Sox are now 34-22, and will fall out of first place later tonight, as the Twins are up big on the Tigers. In addition, the Indians are now just two games back from the Sox for second. We knew this was going to be a wild ride to the finish, but boy oh boy. I never thought I would have to worry about my heart rate.
W: Brad Hand (2-1) | L: Gio Gonzalez (1-2)
Notable Performances
Lucas Giolotio: 6 IP, 11 K, 4 H, 2R, 2 ER, 3 BB
If there was any doubt as to where Lucas Giolito stood in terms of being a legitimate ace, tonight proved it. Giolito was dominant against one of the hottest teams in baseball, fanning 11 and allowing just two runs. Those pair of runs came via a solo homer by Carlos Santana, a pitch where Giolito frankly just lost his spot, and a sacrifice fly in the sixth towards the end of his outing. He threw a career-high 119 pitches, and I do wonder why he was in as long as he was. That being said, you have to respect the confidence Ricky Renteria has in his ace.
Yoan Moncada: 1-for-3, 3B, walk, run
Yoan Moncada had Sox fans on their feet in the eighth with a leadoff three-bagger that resulted in a run via an RBI sacrifice fly by Jose Abreu. Moncada is still battling the fatigue that remains from COVID-19. I admire his ability to still play as hard as he does.
Luis Robert: 0-for-4, 3 K
This performance is notable for the wrong reason. The White Sox young superstar had me believing he was THE guy to win AL Rookie of the Year. However, Robert is now in a slump where he is 0 for his last 27 at-bats. With a free swinger like Luis Robert, this is not terribly unexpected. BUT, the timing could not be any worse.
Moment of the Game
Lucas Giolito was the main bright spot for the White Sox tonight. He continued his dominance of the Indians tonight. In the fourth, he struck out the side to make it eight K’s.
Player of the Game
The Player of the Game is Lucas Giolito. Entering the game with an ERA of 5.03 against teams above .500, the concerns for how he would fair against a red hot Indians offense were legit. However, his six inning, 11 strikeout performance proved he still is dominant against the Tribe.
Looking Ahead
Tomorrow is a must win in terms of staying in the hunt for the AL Central. The Twins are ahead. They don’t play tomorrow. The White Sox have Dallas Keuchel on the mound; their veteran, number two pitcher, who has been here before. He’ll face sophomore starter Zach Plesac. A tall task again for sure, but it’s time to break out of the 4-6 in last 10 slump. The game is at 5:10 on NBC Sports Chicago and the MyTeams app.
My message to Sox fans: hang in there. 1. The season isn’t over. The White Sox can still win the Central. 2. Anything can happen in a bubble. No one has a “home-field advantage.” 3. Remember ’05. The Indians made the Sox sweat and earn the division. Maybe this is the same theme in 2020.
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Renteria needs to go. Who puts Gio in the game at a critical moment when you have a bull pen full of better pitchers??? And of course, he throws a home run ball to a guy who doesn’t know how to hit a ball far enough. This team, under Renteria, is in a total collapse and Renteria and his staff have no clue how to stop it. Also, where are the hitting coaches/instructors when the team needs them?? The team now has no offense to speak of anymore and little to no plate discipline other than the ROOKIE, Madrigal. Will the Sox win another game this year……..there is a good chance the answer is NO, given this coaching staff. The Cubs axed Renteria for a reason and we may now be seeing why.