It was “Panic Monday” on Sox Twitter today as many had this series against the Oakland Athletics as a make or break for the season. Following the dream at the Field of Dreams, the White Sox did drop the next two against the New York Yankees over the weekend, but a time to panic? I’m not so sure about that.
Tonight didn’t get off to the greatest start, as it looked like it was going to be another rough outing for Dallas Keuchel. He was ultimately able to settle down after giving up two early runs, allowing the White Sox to put some offense together and take over from there.
Craig Kimbrel came out and gave the White Sox fans a bit of a scare, putting runners on 2nd and 3rd with only one out in the 8th, but managed to slam the door shut and bring out the Aussie and former Athletic, Liam Hendriks, who brought a lot of anger and hostility to the mound, and struck out all three batters he faced.
The win moves the White Sox to 69-50, and 10.5 games up on the Indians in the AL Central.
W: Dallas Keuchel (8-6) | L: Frankie Montas (9-9) | S: Liam Hendriks (27)
Notable Performances
Seby Zavala: 2-3, 2 RBI, 1 R
If you would have told me that Yasmani Grandal would be out and Zack Collins wouldn’t be the everyday starter while he was out, I would have checked you in somewhere to get looked at. Enter Seby Zavala. Just a few weeks ago, he became the first player in MLB history to record his first three career home runs in a single game. He smacked a 2-run shot into the cornfields of Iowa on Thursday night, and helped the White Sox come back tonight with a big two-out RBI single in the 4th and a squeeze bunt scoring an additional run in the 6th.
Dallas Keuchel: 5 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 2K
I haven’t been the biggest supporter of Keuchel this season, mostly because he’s not been anywhere close to what he was just a season ago. Tonight looked like another rough outing early on. Dallas gave up a solo shot to Matt Chapman, and then got wild with a hit batter and two walks to load the bases, escaping with just one more run. He then settled down and was able to start pitching and having the success he’s had in his career. He was able to put balls in play and keep them on the ground, resulting in a solid outing and putting him in line for a nice victory.
Luis Robert: 3-4, HR, RBI, 2 R, 1 SB
That didn’t take long. Robert is officially back and is starting to look like more of a complete batter. He’s been able to lay off the outside slider, a pitch that has been his kryptonite in his early career. He’s getting better hitting counts, resulting in good looks at the plate. He had a big single in the sixth inning, and then stole second and scored on Zavala’s pinch-squeeze. He then made his pitch to be newest spokesman for insurance companies as he launched one into the left field stands in the bottom half of the eight inning.
Michael Kopech: 2 IP, 0 H, 3 K, 1 BB
Two innings of no hit, dominant pitching from Kopech. What else needs to be said? I’ll leave this here…
Highlight of the Night
Next Game
Game two of a this four-game set with the Athletics starts tomorrow night. The game is set to kick off at 7:10 PM CT tomorrow on NBC Sports Chicago. Reynaldo Lopez and Chris Bassitt are slated to take the mound.
Featured Photo: White Sox / Twitter
