The White Sox were countless opportunities away from clinching their first sweep of 2023, but couldn’t find a way to finish the job.
Before we get to the bad, let’s talk about the good.
Starting pitcher Lucas Giolito looked like his old self again in yet another solid outing. The right-hander struck out seven over seven innings, inducing six popups and surrendering just one run on a Carlos Correa homer. His ability to go deep in this one kept the White Sox around for as long as they were late in the game.
Speaking of going deep, Eloy Jimenez took a different spin on the phrase by launching his fourth homer of the season during the third inning. The two-run shot provided Gio with insurance for the rest of his outing and gave the White Sox a lead until Byron Buxton launched a game-tying bomb off Reynaldo Lopez in the eighth.
As alluded to earlier, the White Sox did have their chances and things went downhill from there.
Billy Hamilton did Billy Hamilton things in the bottom of the eighth to reach third with no outs. After failing to bring him home, the White Sox tried again in the ninth. Infielder Elvis Andrus stood just 90 feet away with two outs before Minnesota forced bonus baseball.
Perhaps the most frustrating example of the team’s inability to score came in the bottom of the 10th. With the bases loaded and only one out, Hanser Alberto was just a pitch away – literally – from walking things off. On a 1-2 count with just one out, the backup third baseman was hit in his right arm. Instead of checking his swing, though, Alberto flung the bat and was called out on strikes. A golden opportunity to keep their hot stretch and winning streak alive was instead wasted.
In classic fashion, the Twins scored the go-ahead run on a Tim Anderson fielding error in the 12th. The floodgates opened not long after as Minnesota would score five total in the frame, with Alex Colome allowing three runs (one earned) and Sammy Peralta two in his big league debut.
Following Thursday’s loss, the White Sox sit at 10-22. They are now eight games back of Minnesota.
W: Emilio Pagan (2-0, 5.11 ERA) | L: Alex Colome (0-1, 18.00 ERA)
StatCast Breakdown
Box Score
Offensive Recap:
Pitching Recap:
White Sox Scoring Recap:
- Bottom 3rd: Eloy Jimenez homers (4) on a line drive to left center field. Seby Zavala scores. MIN 0, CWS 2
- Bottom 12th: Eloy Jimenez singles on a sharp ground ball to right fielder Max Kepler. Billy Hamilton scores. MIN 7, CWS 3
Notable Performances
Lucas Giolito: 7.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 7 K, 1 HR
Giolito was flat-out impressive over his seven innings of work. The right-hander had the slider working and continues to be the team’s best starting pitcher to date.
Eloy Jimenez: 3-for-5, HR (4), 3 RBI, 1 BB, 1 R
Jimenez launched another home run as he continues to be a nightmare for opposing pitchers. The Big Baby is now hitting .448 (13-for-29) over his last seven games with two bombs and 8 RBI.
Aaron Bummer
This is the Bummer we’ve been waiting for all season. The southpaw was dominant in extras, striking out all three batters he faced to strand the ghost runner on second.
Next Game
The White Sox will look to secure another series win as they get set to face the Reds in Cincinnati. Lance Lynn (0-4, 7.16 ERA) is scheduled to go up against the recently extended Hunter Greene (0-1, 2.89 ERA).
Friday’s first pitch is at 5:40 pm CT.
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Featured Image: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
