Rookie Jonathan Stiever struggled in his second major league start as the White Sox fell to the Reds 7-1 on Friday night. The rookie surrendered four homers in his short outing, and the offense could never get going against the Reds pitching staff. On the bright side, White Sox 2020 first-round pick Garrett Crochet was electric in his major league debut.
W: Tyler Mahle (2-2) | L: Jonathan Stiever (0-1)
Notable Performances
Jonathan Stiever: 2.2 IP, 5 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 0 Swings and Misses
After a sharp debut Sunday vs. Detroit, Stiever faltered in his second big-league start. Though his fastball velocity was slightly up, he struggled to locate his offspeed pitches, leading to four homers by the Reds powerful lineup.
Garrett Crochet: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 2 K
The 11th overall pick in the 2020 draft, Crochet never played a game in the minor leagues before making his debut Friday. He worked a scoreless inning, striking out a pair of Reds, while consistently touching 100 mph with his fastball.
Nick Madrigal: 2-for-4, 2B
The White Sox managed just four hits on Friday, but Nick Madrigal got 2 of them in his first career appearance in the lead-off spot. Madrigal raised his season average to .333 and hit his third career double.
Moment of the Game
Garrett Crochet introduced himself to the major leagues with a pair of strikeouts in a 1-2-3 sixth inning. Crochet’s average fastball velocity for the inning was 100.4 mph. That’ll work.
Player of the Game
Player of the Game honors go to the rookie making his debut tonight. Garrett Crochet was absolutely electric, showing why the White Sox took the risk on the lefty in this year’s draft. In a game with few highlights, Crochet absolutely stole the show for the Good Guys.
Looking Ahead
The White Sox and Reds will be back in action tomorrow evening, as Dallas Keuchel makes his return from the injured list. Cy Young candidate Trevor Bauer will take the ball for Cincinnati. The game will air on FOX at 6:07 PM CDT.
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The Sox need to play Dyson in RF instead of Mazara. He is a better defender, faster (legit sb threat) and a decent contact hitter. Neither are home run threats. Dyson bunting could also be a good strategy as it forces the infield to play in closer increasing his chances of getting ground ball hits.
Last night Madrigal demonstrated why he needs to bat 2nd behind Anderson and Grandal needs to bat in the lower end of the order. He does a great job of making contact when you have the hit n run on and he can each the pitch the runner is going on. Why in the world was Mazara running early in the count is my question? At least Minnesota also lost.