White Sox 17, Reds 4: Offense explodes in series-clinching win

What a week for the Chicago White Sox. After taking two of three from the Minnesota Twins for their first series win of the season, the team replicated that success against the Cincinnati Reds. On Sunday, the lineup combined for 18 hits en route to scoring 17 runs to cap off their second straight series win.

The game started off a bit rocky, with starter Michael Kopech being on the wrong end of a Jonathan India solo home run. That was then elevated by an awful defensive mishap from Kopech that should’ve resulted in an easy out. Luckily, it didn’t cost the team more than just the one run, but things were looking bleak early. Then, well, the Sox batters decided to keep it out of his hands. The lineup absolutely shelled Reds starter Graham Ashcraft for eight runs in the second inning, finishing with 11 on the frame. From there, it was all rudimentary, as the Sox would harass any Reds pitcher who entered the game moving forward. Hanser Alberto finished with the most impressive performance at the plate, going 4-4 with a home run and four runs batted in. Andrew Vaughn also had a great day, finishing 3-for-5 with four runs batted in.

While it was far from his best performance, Michael Kopech found a way to eat up six innings while giving up just four runs. The strikeout numbers were low and he allowed four solo home runs, but he found a way to survive and not allow the game to get away from him. The bullpen locked it down from there, allowing just two hits through three innings and three strikeouts.

With the win, the White Sox improve to 12-23, as the team finishes the week 4-2. If the team wants to find a path to October, they’ll need to continue this level of success moving forward. There is little to no room for error.

W: Michael Kopech (1-3) | L: Graham Ashcraft (2-1)

StatCast Breakdown

Box Score

Offensive Recap:

Pitching Recap:

Scoring Recap:

• Top 2nd:
  Hanser Alberto homers (3) on a fly ball to left center field. Luis Robert Jr. scores. (2-1 White Sox)
  Andrew Benintendi singles on a line drive to center. Yasmani Grandal scores. Elvis Andrus scores. (4-1 White Sox)
  Andrew Vaughn triples (1) to right field. Tim Anderson scores. Andrew Benintendi scores. (6-1 White Sox)
  Luis Robert Jr. singles. Andrew Vaughn scores. (7-1 White Sox)
  Yasmani Grandal singles. Luis Robert scores. (8-1 White Sox)
  Gavin Sheets homers (3) to right field. Hanser Alberto scores. Yasmani Grandal scores. (11-1 White Sox)
  
• Top 3rd:
  Andrew Vaughn doubles (11). Andrew Benintendi scores. (12-1 White Sox)
  Luis Robert Jr. doubles (9) to left field. Andrew Vaughn scores. (13-1 White Sox)
  Hanser Alberto doubles (2) to left field. Luis Robert Jr. scores. (14-1 WhiteSox)
  
• Top 5th:
  Andrew Vaughn hits a sacrifice fly to center. Tim Anderson scores. (15-4 White Sox)
  Hanser Alberto doubles (3) to center. Andrew Benintendi scores. (16-4 White Sox)
  Yasmani Grandal grounds out to third. Luis Robert Jr. scores. (17-4 White Sox)

Notable Performances

Michael Kopech: 6.0 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, BB, 2 K, 4 HR

Kopech’s first win of the season was one to forget, but it got the job done. Not much was needed to be done to secure a win on a day that offense scores at the rate they did, but allowing just four runs in six innings will play.

The Entire Lineup: 18-44, 2 HR, 5 2B, 3B, 17 RBIs

As noted above, Hanser Alberto and Andrew Vaughn were the stars of the show, but it was an all-around effort from the lineup today. Also, 12 of those 17 runs were scored with two outs. A huge step forward for a lineup expected to miss Eloy Jimenez for 4-6 weeks.

Next Matchup:

The White Sox continue their Midwest road trip with a trip to Kansas City on Monday to take on the Royals. Dylan Cease will take on former Cy Young winner Zach Greinke at 6:40 PM CT.

The game will be broadcast on NBC Sports Chicago.

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Featured Image: Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports