Rainy conditions made for a great game between the White Sox and Minnesota Twins on Tuesday night, as the White Sox picked up win number 50 in their 4-1 victory over Minnesota. Hits were hard to come by for the good guys, but the Sox managed to utilize their three hits to outmatch Minnesota’s eight in yet another dominant pitching performance from Carlos Rodon. Overall, the White Sox reached base just seven times throughout the entire game but managed to bring four of those runners around to ultimately take the ballgame.
The pitching staff was the leading factor in the Sox 50th win with a dominant nine innings of baseball, allowing just one run despite surrendering eight hits to Minnesota. A masterful six innings from Rodon was more than enough to form the bridge to Michael Kopech and Liam Hendriks, who’d proceeded to pitch a combined three innings of shutout ball to hold the Twins down and even up the series at a game apiece.
The Sox are now 9-2 versus Minnesota on the 2021 campaign.
W: Carlos Rodon (7-3) | L: Jose Berrios (7-3) | SV: Liam Hendriks (22)
Savant Leaders
Notable Performances
Zack Collins: 2-for-3, 2 RBI, R
With such bad news coming out of the catcher position for the Sox on Tuesday, Zack Collins provided a bright spot. He was the catalyst of the two runs the Sox posted in the second frame with his two-run single off of Jose Berrios. In fact, Collins’ second-inning single was the only hit the White Sox were able to muster in the first six innings, making it all the more crucial.
Collin’s big night continued late into the game when he picked up the second hit for the Sox in the top of the 8th on an RBI-double off the right-field fence at Target Field before scoring on an RBI single from Adam Eaton shortly after.
Carlos Rodon: W, 6.0 IP, ER, 8 SO, 7 H, 0 BB
First-time All-Star Carlos Rodon’s performance was magnificent for the White Sox on Tuesday night, where he logged six innings of one-run ball while striking out eight Twins. Rodon relied heavily on his fastball yet again to find success against Minnesota, utilizing it 64 times out of 104 pitches after throwing 48 heaters out of 97 (49%) to the Twins this past Thursday. His average velocity on the four-seamer sat at 95.4 throughout the game, and he topped at triple digits with a 100.4 mark on a fastball to Ryan Jeffers in his sixth and final inning.
Liam Hendriks: SV, 2.0 IP, 0 H, 4 SO
Liam Hendriks was called upon by Tony La Russa in the 8th to get six outs with a 4-1 lead. He responded by striking out the first four Twins that he faced. Despite a rocky history pitching for the Sox in rain, Hendriks stayed dominant through the Minnesota rainfall in the 9th to set the Twins down in 1-2-3 fashion and pick up his 22nd save on the year.
Billy Hamilton
For no other reason except to post this incredible catch.
Matchup of the Game
Bottom 7, CHW lead 2-1, 1 Out, Man on 2nd – Michael Kopech vs. Andrelton Simmons
Michael Kopech was called upon in the 7th inning to protect a 2-1 White Sox lead, and he obliged (with a little luck from the diamond) to force out the potential tying run in-between 2nd and 3rd base. Facing Andrelton Simmons with Miguel Sano on 2nd and one out, Kopech induced a line-drive ground ball on an 83.1 MPH slider that caught Sano sleeping and forced him out in the base path, eliminating the potential threat.
Player of the Game
Zack Collins accounted for 100% of the Sox hits up until the 8th inning, and he was the clear bruiser of the Sox offense today with a handful of good at-bats. Both of his hits combined for a .880 xBA, including a 376-foot liner for a double, leaving nothing up to the fate of the game.
In his first game starting behind the dish since the announcement of the Grandal injury, Collins held the weight of the Sox offense on his back on Tuesday night. He will need to continue to do that for the White Sox in order to help make up for the loss of Grandal.
Looking Ahead
The third and final game in the series with Minnesota will take place on Wednesday afternoon at Target Field, where Lance Lynn (8-3) will toe the rubber for the White Sox as Michael Pineda will be taking the bump for Minnesota.
The first pitch is scheduled for 12:10 PM CDT and the game will be broadcasted on NBC Sports Chicago and WVMP 1000 AM.
Be sure to follow us on social media @SoxOn35th for more updates!
