Michael Kopech’s been looking for a start like the one he got tonight for a while now.
The right-hander came into today’s game sporting an ERA well north of 5.00. Eight innings of one-hit baseball will certainly go a long way in turning that situation around. Kopech struck out 10 Royals across his innings of work, with Michael Massey being the only one to record a hit (sixth-inning single). Kopech didn’t walk anyone on the evening either, and his fastball was in the upper-90s while generating swings and misses throughout the entire night. Kendall Graveman record a 1-2-3 ninth inning, and the pitching would end up allowing just one baserunner – but still faced only 27 batters – in their evening of work. Not a bad night on the South Side.
The offense was once again held in check by Zack Greinke, however, they were able to do just enough damage to get the job done. An RBI single by Gavin Sheets and a sacrifice fly by Romy Gonzalez – both in the second inning – made up the entirety of the White Sox’ offensive attack tonight, with Yoan Moncada, Andrew Vaighn, Sheets, Jake Burger, and Andrew Benintendi the only South Siders to record a hit on the evening.
However, while it wasn’t much, the Whtie Sox got the job done. And, with where they’re at in the standings, that’s all that matters.
Now, the club is 17-29 on the season.
W: Michael Kopech (2-4) | L: Zack Greinke (1-5) | S: Kendall Graveman (3)
StatCast Breakdown
Box Score
Offensive Recap:
Pitching Recap:
White Sox Scoring Recap:
- Bottom 2nd: Gavin Sheets singles to right field. Yoan Moncada scores. 1-0 White Sox.
- Bottom 2nd: Romy Gonzalez hits a sacrifice fly. Andrew Vaughn scores. 2-0 White Sox.
Notable Performances
Michael Kopech: 8 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 10 K
Michael Kopech was absolutely brilliant tonight, calling back to his day on Sunday Night Baseball in New York last season. The White Sox are going to need to see this version of Michael Kopech much more this season if they’re going to remain competitive.
Other Game Highlights
Next Matchup
The White Sox and Royals will do battle again tomorrow in the second game of this three-game series. Lucas Giolito will have the ball against Jordan Lyles.
The game will begin at 1:10 PM CT over on NBC Sports Chicago.
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Featured Image: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
