In undoubtedly the ugliest game of the young 2021 season, the White Sox saw the Tigers commit five errors while somehow producing just two runs. The Sox’ offense went 0-for-13 with RISP and grounded into four double plays, scoring only off the benefit of Tigers’ errors. Despite a strong six innings from Lucas Giolito, things unraveled in the seventh for the right-hander as he surrendered a walk, double, home run and another walk before Tony LaRussa finally pulled him after 114 pitches. The Sox drop this one and see their record fall to 12-10.
W: Jose Ureña (1-3) | L: Lucas Giolito (1-2) | SV: Gregory Soto (3)
Savant Leaders
Notable Performances
Lucas Giolito: 6.2 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 7 K, 114 Pitches
If you considered just the first 6 IP from Lucas Giolito tonight, you’d call it a gigantic bounce-back from his forgettable performance in Boston. While he didn’t necessarily have everything in his arsenal working to perfection, he kept the Tigers off balance with a mix of 4-Seam Fastballs (51%) and Changeups (36%). The highlight of the night came at the end of the sixth inning as Giolito worked out of a first-and-third jam to strike out Jonathan Schoop on three pitches. Questionably coming out for a seventh inning, Giolito’s control floundered as LaRussa let the pitcher rack up 114 pitches despite the diminishing effectiveness.
Tim Anderson: 1-for-3, 2 BB
You read that correctly: two walks from Tim Anderson. TA was back at it again, leading off the game with a single into right field and producing a pair of walks to reach base three times. Not only was he impressive at the plate, Anderson made a great defensive play in the sixth inning, ranging into left field to prevent the potential tying-run from scoring.
Yermin Mercedes: 2-for-4
It wasn’t anything flashy, just a pair of singles, but Yermin continues to rake, bringing his average up to a cool .432 on the year. When everything is wrong, the Yerminator is right.
Matchup of the Game
For the Matchup of the Game let’s go with the Matchup that never was. With a pair of runners on base in the eighth inning and down by three runs, Billy Hamilton and Leury Garcia, two of the softer-hitting White Sox, to put it lightly, batted consecutively with Zack Collins and Andrew Vaughn sitting on the bench. It was a peculiar decision by LaRussa, and one that ended somewhat predictably: with both Hamilton and Garcia striking out.
Player of the Game
Though he was charged with the loss, there really is no choice here other than Lucas Giolito. Despite the frustrating night, there were good things to be taken away from his performance. His changeup, the pitch that caused the most trouble in Boston, generated eight swinging strikes and played beautifully off the fastball. Take that current ERA with a grain of salt.
Looking Ahead
The White Sox will be back at it tomorrow at Guaranteed Rate Field for game two of this three-game series with the Tigers. Carlos Rodón will put his sparkling 0.47 ERA to the test against Detroit’s Casey Mize, the No. 1 pick from 2018. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 PM CT, and the game will be viewable on NBC Sports Chicago.
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