It was a disappointing afternoon for the White Sox offensively, despite a great performance from Lance Lynn and a short rally in the 9th inning. The White Sox offense started hot with an RBI single by Yoan Moncada, and although Adam Eaton came to the plate as the tying run after a Tim Anderson drove in Luis Robert in the 9th, Eaton flew out to CF to center to seal the victory for Cleveland. The White Sox are now 6-7 on the young season.
W: Aaron Civale (3-0) | L: Lance Lynn (1-1)
Savant Leaders
Notable Performances
Lance Lynn: 6 IP, 10 K, 0 BB, 5 H, 2 ER
Lynn was brilliant once again, throwing 5 scoreless innings, allowing minimal contact, and striking out 10 before giving up a 2 run shot to Jose Ramirez in the 6th. Lynn has given up just 2 ER on the season in 3 starts, and he continues to look dominant doing it.
Tim Anderson – 2 for 5, K
It was refreshing to see Anderson return to the lineup after a short stint on the IL, and he did his usual thing, getting on base a couple time as well as scoring a run. Anderson managed to reach in the 9th inning and bring up Adam Eaton as the tying run. While the offense struggled today, you’d expect the return of Anderson to boost the team going forward.
Luis Robert – 2 for 3 with a walk and a triple
Luis continues to show more patience at the plate, working longer counts and taking more pitches off the plate. Robert is also squaring up the ball nicely, with exit velocities in the 100+ MPH range consistently. If he continues to lay off of the outside slider, I’d expect him to begin driving in a lot of runs.
Michael Kopech – 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 2K
Kopech was sent in relief of Garrett Crochet in the 6th, inheriting several runners on base and successfully getting out the inning. He allowed 1 unearned run in the 7th inning, with a combination of poor defense (2 errors on Abreu) and some weak infield contact from Cleveland. Despite the bumpy inning, Kopech continues to look excellent in his relief role this season.
Matchup of the Game
Jose Ramirez, who had struggled in the series up until today, faced a 3-2 count with a runner on against Lance Lynn in the 6th inning. Lynn tried to get another high fastball by him but missed his spot, and Ramirez was able to deposit it into the bleachers for a 2-1 lead. That was the turning point in the game for the Indians, as they turned a 69% win probability for the White Sox into a 63% win probability for themselves.
Player of the Game
Luis Robert looks like he is ready to take off and have a big season. He has always hit the ball extremely hard but is now showing signs of better pitch recognition and the ability to lay off breaking balls. Robert hit a triple in the 9th inning to start a rally that ultimately came up short, raising his average to .269 in the process.
Other Highlights
Next Game
The White Sox take on the Boston Red Sox tomorrow at 6:10 P.M. Central Time in Boston. Dylan Cease is scheduled to start after some uncertainty, while Nick Pivetta will take the mound for Boston.
You can view the game as always on NBC Sports Chicago.
