The White Sox once again were led to victory by a lethal rally; today, the runs came in the first inning, mostly as a result of an Eloy Jimenez first-pitch grand slam off Yu Darvish. Dallas Keuchel was nearly perfect in his five innings of work, which made for a smooth ride towards tonight’s victory.
W: Dallas Keuchel | L: Yu Darvish | SV: Alex Colome
Notable Performances
Edwin Encarnacion: 0-for-1, 2 BB
Make no mistake: despite a hitless night, Edwin Encarnacion played a crucial role in the exciting first inning. He worked a nine-pitch walk against Yu Darvish, which included him fighting off several tough pitches. As a result, Eloy Jimenez was afforded the opportunity to bat with the bases loaded and nobody out.
Eloy Jimenez: 1-for-3, HR, 4 RBI
Eloy Jimenez attacked a first-pitch fastball and was rewarded. There is something about Jimenez hitting home runs against the Cubs (even in practice games) that just feels natural.
Dallas Keuchel: 5.0 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 2 K, 0 BB
Dallas Keuchel was masterful, as he needed only 55 pitches to carve through the Cubs lineup. He induced ground ball out after ground ball out, spotted his pitches quite well, and looked like he could have pitched a complete game.
Tim Anderson: 2-for-3, 2B
Tim Anderson started the first inning off with a hustle double, then singled on a ball that was hit just 61 MPH and barely left the dirt around the left-handed batters’ box. No matter the context of the game, Anderson just finds ways to register hits.
Yoan Moncada: 1-for-3, RBI
Last but not least, Yoan Moncada made his summer debut, and one would think he has been playing this whole time based on his tremendous performance. He followed up Anderson’s lead-off double with a rocket RBI single. His second at-bat, in which he lined out, actually featured a batted ball that had a 93% chance of being a hit. Finally, even in just half of a game, he made four terrific plays at third base that reminded White Sox fans how much of a defensive upgrade he is over any other player the team puts at his position.
Moment of the Game
You already saw Eloy Jimenez’s grand slam. As great as it was, seeing Yoan Moncada return to the team and do what he does best in his first at-bat was very gratifying.
Player of the Game
Jimenez and Moncada are worthy contenders, but Dallas Keuchel was lights out and deserves the recognition here.
Looking Ahead
The White Sox will play an intrasquad game tomorrow before hosting the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday night. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:10 PM CT at Guaranteed Rate Field. Carlos Rodon is slated to pitch for the White Sox; the Brewers have not yet announced a starter.
Be sure to follow us on social media @SoxOn35th for more updates!
