For the first time in awhile, the White Sox won the first game of a series, taking care of the Tigers tonight 2-0.
The story of the game was Michael Kopech, who looked the best he has since injuring his knee earlier this season. Through six no-hit innings, Kopech struck out 11 Tigers hitters and walked three. He exited the game with 85 pitches, with the White Sox making the decision to prioritize Kopech’s health in an innings-limited season instead of throwing him out there to continue to pitch in a game he would be unlikely to finish. Reynaldo Lopez would give up the first hit, but he, Kendall Graveman, and Liam Hendriks combined for three pretty painless innings on a great night for the White Sox staff.
The offense was once again held in check throughout most of the game, managing just one extra-base hit against Tigers starter Daniel Norris. In the late innings, the White Sox got to Alex Lange, loading the bases against him. After Yasmani Grandal struck out to open the inning, back-to-back singles by Yoan Moncada and Josh Harrison, followed late by a walk by AJ Pollock, set the stage for Andrew Vaughn. On a 1-0 pitch, Vaughn dropped a single perfectly into right field, giving the White Sox the lead. The team would go on to amass eight hits, with seven of them being singles. They did just enough to help out a pitching staff that was once again dominant in this one.
With the win, the White Sox are back over .500 at 57-56. They don’t pick up any ground on the first place Guardians, who won their ballgame today. They sit 3.5 games back in the AL Central.
W: Reynaldo Lopez (5-2) | L: Alex Lange (4-3) | S: Liam Hendriks (24)
StatCast Breakdown
Box Score
Offensive Recap:
Pitching Recap:
White Sox Scoring Recap:
Bottom 7th: Andrew Vaughn singles to right field. Yoan Moncada, Josh Harrison score. 2-0 White Sox
Notable Performances
Michael Kopech: 6 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 11 K
For the first time since injuring his knee a few months ago, Kopech looked utterly dominant on the mound. He had control of all of his pitches, had some late velo and movement deep into the game, and other different conditions, could have likely gone another inning or two in this one.
Andrew Vaughn: 1-for-4, 2 RBI
Vaughn was the difference-maker in this one, dropping a single into right field with the bases loaded to give the White Sox a lead that they would not relinquish.
Luis Robert: 2-for-3
Luis Robert had a nice two-hit night, but left today’s game with a sprained left wrist. X-rays were negative and he is considered day-to-day at this point.
Next Matchup
The same two teams will go at it tomorrow night. Lucas Giolito will take the hill looking to right the ship, and he will face off against Matt Manning.
The game will begin at 6:10 PM CT over on NBC Sports Chicago.
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Featured Image: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
