For a White Sox fan, there is no better feeling than beating the Cubs. In that category, the Sox are 2-for-2 in 2020, clinching the weekend series win over with a 7-4 win this evening.
Offensively, Jose Abreu was the star, hitting three homers, getting him to 189 in his career, and 10 on the season. He also passed Magglio Ordonez for 5th on the all-time White Sox home run list in the process and is now tied with Magglio for multi-home run games at 16. Luis Robert and Yasmani Grandal also added on to the offensive surge, homering for the seventh and third time this season, respectively. The White Sox have reached 50 total home runs for 2020 at a quicker rate than any other season. This team is hot, and they have shown no signs of slowing down.
On the pitching side, Reynaldo Lopez was solid in his first game back since July 26th. Despite only 3.1 innings pitched, ReyLo allowed just one hit and two runs, both coming on that hit, an RBI double by Victor Caratini. However, the big key to Sox pitching tonight was Gio Gonzalez. Gonzalez tossed 3.2 innings of shutout ball, allowing just one hit, and working through several jams. He had his breaking ball working, and made a statement with a big inning-ending strikeout of Wilson Contreras in the bottom of the sixth.
W: Gio Gonzalez (1-1) | L: Kyle Hendricks (3-3)
Notable Performances
Jose Abreu: 4-for-4, 3 HR, 4 RBI, 3 R, BB
One of the silent leaders of this team is Jose Abreu. Rick Renteria has noted how Abreu “leads by example.” If that’s true, the White Sox are going to continue to hit a ton of homers and have lots of offense. Jose got his night off to a nice start with a single during a quality at-bat. From then on, three homers. Nice evening for No. 79.
Eloy Jimenez: 2-for-5, 2 2B
Jimenez had a pair of doubles tonight, which is usually a lot bigger deal when one of your teammates doesn’t hit three homers. However, being underwhelmed or disappointed by a two-double performance is a sign that things are going very well for your offense.
Luis Robert: 1-for-3, HR, 2 RBI, R
Two home runs at Wrigley in as many games has Luis Robert seeing the ball very well, as he kickstarted the White Sox offense with a two run bomb in the top of the second.
Moment of the Game
The Moment of the Game was home run number three for Abreu. It added insurance and made history for the White Sox and the Crosstown Cup. An absolute laser to left field, it was Abreu’s tenth of the season.
This was the 17th time in MLB history that an American League team has had one player go deep three times in a National League park. It’s the first time in White Sox history.
Player of the Game
Jose Abreu is the Player of the Game, without debate. His performance made history. Not only that, but he continues to have a tremendous season at the plate, as he is now batting .322 with five home runs in the past two games.
Looking Ahead
Tomorrow, the White Sox will look to complete a sweep of the Cubs and put a stranglehold on the Crosstown Cup. It will be Dylan Cease against Yu Darvish, which should be a very intriguing pitching matchup as both are 4-1 on the season. First pitch is set for 1:20 PM CT, on NBC Sports Chicago.
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