After winning two of three from each of their first two opponents, the White Sox set the tone to start their third series of the season, taking down the Rays 3-2.
Dylan Cease got the start for the White Sox and was sharp from the very beginning. He became the first White Sox starter this season to pitch into the sixth inning, completing 5.2 innings with 91 pitches. He recorded 15 swinging strikes across his outing, giving up just one run while striking out eight. He was followed by Aaron Bummer, who allowed his inherited runner to score before giving up one of his own. From there, Kendall Graveman threw a scoreless eighth inning, and Liam Hendriks finished it off with a solid and painless 1-2-3 ninth inning.
On offense, it was pretty much the Jake Burger show all night. The backup third baseman was 2-for-3 on the night, including a home run and later an RBI single that would prove to be the difference in the ballgame. The South Siders did put some good swings up against Rays’ starter Drew Rasmussen – at one point, recording three straight barreled outs – but were only able to muster three runs on the night. But, on the 75th anniversary of Jackie Robinson Day, it was enough.
With the win, the White Sox improve to 5-2 on the young season.
W: Dylan Cease (2-0) | L: Drew Rasmussen (0-1) | S: Liam Hendriks (3)
StatCast Breakdown
Box Score
Offensive Recap:
Pitching Recap:
White Sox Scoring Highlights:
Bottom 2nd: Wild pitch by Drew Rasmussen. Gavin Sheets scores. 1-0 White Sox
Bottom 3rd: Jake Burger homers (1) to left center field. 2-0 White Sox
Bottom 5th: Jake Burger singles to RF. Leury Garcia scores. 3-0 White Sox
Notable Performances
Dylan Cease: 5.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K, 15 Swinging Strikes
With Lucas Giolito and Lance Lynn out for the White Sox, Dylan Cease has become the de facto ace for this White Sox staff. In two performances thus far on the season, Cease has complete 10.2 innings while compiling a 1.69 ERA. He was in command early on today, working ahead of pretty much every hitter and avoiding too many deep counts. The Rays were able to get two runners on in the fourth to no avail against Cease, and he walks away with two incredibly solid starts to kick off his 2022 campaign.
Jake Burger: 2-for-3, HR (1), 2 RBI, R, K
It feels like Jake Burger might find himself out of the 9-hole in the lineup pretty soon, as he has been on a tear to start the season. Burger now owns a .375 average and 1.037 OPS on the young season, and it appears pretty clear that the former first round draft pick isn’t overmatched at the highest level.
Kendall Graveman: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Kendall Graveman has been lights out since coming to the White Sox on a three-year deal, and it appears that he is going to settle nicely into a setup role for Liam Hendriks this season. The right-hander has not allowed a run to score on the season has now has six strikeouts in 5.2 IP to start the season. Graveman will continue to be an important part of this bullpen moving forward.
Other Game Highlights
The Next Matchup
The White Sox and Rays will be back in action tomorrow afternoon, as Michael Kopech will go up against Corey Kluber in a matchup against a former AL Central foe for the South Siders.
The game will start at 1:10 CT and will be back on NBC Sports Chicago.
Follow us @SoxOn35th for more updates throughout the season!
