After dropping two of three in Los Angeles earlier this week, the White Sox concluded their West Coast trip with a sweep of the San Francisco Giants, giving themselves some momentum heading into the season’s most crucial stretch.
All weekend, the Giants’ defense gave the White Sox opportunities that the South Siders would not let go to waste. This was the same early in this one, as a costly throwing error by Donovan Walton would lead to an eventual two-RBI double by Luis Robert to open the scoring. By the end of the day, the White Sox will arrive had pounded out 13 runs and 17 hits without the benefit of a home run. Every starter except for Yoan Moncada had a hit, including multi-hit efforts from Andrew Vaughn, Luis Robert, Jose Abreu, Leury Garcia, Josh Harrison, and Seby Zavala. In fact, the bottom three in the order – Garcia, Harrison, and Zavala – were a combined 8-for-13 in the game.
Lucas Giolito completed six innings of one-run baseball on the other side of the ball, completing six innings for the second straight outing. In those two outings, Giolito has thrown a combined 12 innings and given up just three runs (2.25 ERA). He followed up last game’s 71% Whiff Rate on his changeup with a 55% Whiff Rate on the pitch today, with his average fastball velocity sitting just around his season average. He was followed by Matt Foster, Vince Velasquez, and Jose Ruiz, with Velasquez being the only one to give up any runs in the effort.
With the win, the White Sox are 38-39 and are just 4.5 games out of first place in the AL Central heading into one of many pivotal series over the course of July.
W: Lucas Giolito (5-4) | L: Sean Hjelle (0-1)
StatCast Breakdown
Box Score
Offensive Recap:
Pitching Recap:
White Sox Scoring Recap:
Top 3rd: Luis Robert singles to right field. Josh Harrison, Tim Anderson score. 2-0 White Sox
Top 4th: Seby Zavala singles to center field. Leury Garcia scores. 3-0 White Sox
Top 5th: Gavin Sheets doubles to left field. Andrew Vaughn, Luis Robert, and Jose Abreu score. 6-0 White Sox
Top 8th: Seby Zavala doubles to left field. Leury Garcia scores. 7-1 White Sox
Top 8th: Andrew Vaughn singles to center field. Josh Harrison, Seby Zavala score. 9-1 White Sox
Top 8th: Josh Abreu grounds out to third. Tim Anderson scores. 10-1 White Sox
Top 8th: Adam Haseley singles to center field. Luis Robert scores. 11-1 White Sox
Top 9th: Seby Zavala doubles to left field. Leury Garcia scores. 12-1 White Sox
Top 9th: Andrew Vaughn reaches on a fielder’s choice. Josh Harrison scores. 13-1 White Sox
Notable Performances
Lucas Giolito: 6 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K
After five pretty brutal starts between May and June for Lucas Giolito, it appears the right-hander has gotten things back on track. Giolito struck out the first seven hitters of the game, and despite an early elevated pitch count, was able to complete six innings of work to help out a bullpen that was without Joe Kelly and Kendall Graveman for this one.
Andrew Vaughn: 2-for-6, R, 3 RBI, K
One of many White Sox hitters with a multi-hit game, Vaughn added to his incredible numbers late in this one with a few RBI singles. Vaughn raised his average back over .300 in this game thanks to four hard-hit baseballs on the afternoon.
Leury Garcia: 3-for-5, 3 R
For as rough of a season as it’s been for Leury Garcia, it appears he may have found something over the last few games. With a three-hit performance today, he ended this series with the Giants 5-for-11, including the go-ahead single in Friday’s 1-0 victory.
Josh Harrison: 2-for-3, 3 R, 2 BB
Josh Harrison’s turnaround from his early-season struggles continued today, as he reached base four times in the effort. Harrison has raised his season average to .236 with his recent hot stretch, with his OPS a rising .663.
Seby Zavala: 3-for-5, 3 RBI, R, 2 K
Seby Zavala has quietly been a pretty great backup catcher for the White Sox since being called up after Yasmani Grandal’s injury. In 54 plate appearances this season, Zavala has a .313 average and .833 OPS, despite his nearly 35% strikeout rate. While the White Sox are hoping Yasmani Grandal comes back soon, Zavala has done a great job holding down the fort in his absence.
Luis Robert: 2-for-6, 2 RBI, 2 R
Luis Robert’s .286 average doesn’t necessarily tell the entire story of his season, as he has struggled with a lack of plate discipline at many points throughout this season.
The Next Matchup
The White Sox will play the first of 19 straight American League Central games starting tomorrow back at home against the division-leading Minnesota Twins. Johnny Cueto will take the hill against Dylan Bundy.
The game will begin at 7:10 CT on NBC Sports Chicago.
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Featured Image: Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports
