The White Sox took another step closer to .500 tonight.
In what looked to be the most interesting – and difficult – pitching matchup of the series, Dylan Cease and Eury Perez battled throughout the early innings of this one, both surrendering just one run via a home run in their appearances. Perez worked five innings in his start, while Cease worked six of his own. From there, both bullpens took over, with Keynan Middleton, Kendall Graveman, and Liam Hendriks covering the final nine outs flawlessly for the White Sox.
The game would remain tied at one – courtesy of a Yasmani Grandal homer for the White Sox – until the bottom of the ninth. Elvis Andrus started the inning with a single, moved to second on a wild pitch, and eventually scored on the game-winning RBI single from Luis Robert. Before that hit, the White Sox were just 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position on the night, including squandering a bases-loaded, no-out situation early in the game.
Despite hitting just .207 on the month so far, the White Sox are 6-1 in June. They improve to 29-36 on the season, remaining just 3.5 games back of the Twins in the AL Central.
W: Liam Hendriks (2-0) | L: Dylan Floro (3-4)
StatCast Breakdown
Box Score
Offensive Recap:
Pitching Recap:
White Sox Scoring Recap:
- Bottom 2nd: Yasmani Grandal homers (5) to right field. 1-0 White Sox.
- Bottom 9th: Luis Robert Jr. singles to left field. Elvis Andrus scores. 2-1 White Sox.
Notable Performances
Dylan Cease: 6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K
Dylan Cease has gotten closer and closer to turning his early-season struggles around, and this start was certainly another step forward for him.
Yasmani Grandal: 3-for-4, HR, RBI
Grandal had been in a bit of a slump recently, so the three-hit performance was much-needed for the White Sox backstop.
Luis Robert Jr.: 1-for-4, RBI, 2 K
Despite a pretty rough night at the plate before the ninth inning, Robert got it done when it mattered most for the South Siders.
Next Matchup
The White Sox and Marlins will duel again tomorrow, this time starting at 1:10 PM CT over on NBC Sports Chicago.
Michael Kopech will take the mound against a struggling – but still impressive – Sandy Alcantara.
Follow us @SoxOn35th for more throughout the season!
Featured Image: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
