They’ve done it! The crazy sons of guns have done it!
After an entire month of baseball, the Chicago White Sox have finally secured back-to-back wins. Once again it came in dramatic fashion, as with two outs on the scoreboard in the tenth inning, Andrew Benintendi smacked a fastball to left field to send the fans home happy.
Benintendi actually contributed on both sides of the ball Tuesday night, also completing an insane home run robbery to keep the game scoreless in the first frame.
Otherwise, Michael Kopech and Joe Ryan each feasted on the opposing team’s lineup, to the tune of two combined hits allowed. Kopech even entered the sixth inning with a no-no, but quickly lost it along with the lead. The Twins did load the bases with one out in that frame, so his damage control would prove significant.
Sure enough, Eloy Jimenez delivered in the bottom half of the seventh with a lofty two-run bomb to left field to snatch the lead. It didn’t live long, as Alex Colome – yes, that Alex Colome – yielded an eighth-inning solo homer to Nick Gordon in his White Sox season debut.
Chicago would then blow a no-out, runner-on-second situation in the bottom of the ninth to send the game to extras. However, Jimmy Lambert would strike out two, including Byron Buxton, to leave the inherited runner stranded in the tenth, and the rest is history.
Tim Anderson failed to record a hit in his return to the diamond but earned an impressive 12-pitch walk. While his mere presence doesn’t mean the White Sox are now a serious baseball team, they’re at least headed in the right direction. The club is now 9-21 on the season.
W: Jimmy Lambert (2-1) | L: Caleb Thielbar (0-1)
StatCast Breakdown
Box Score
Offensive Recap:
Pitching Recap:
White Sox Scoring Recap:
- Bottom 7th: Eloy Jimenez homers to left field. Andrew Vaughn scores. 2-1 White Sox.
- Bottom 10th: Andrew Benintendi singles to left field. Hanser Alberto scores. 3-2 White Sox.
Notable Performances
Michael Kopech: 6 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 5 BB, 7 K
While he has flashed dominant stuff in multiple games this season, Kopech had only put it together for one great start prior to tonight. It wasn’t all that easy tonight as evidenced by the five walks, but he got the job done and fanned seven Twinkies.
Eloy Jimenez: 1-for-4, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Despite a concerning ground ball rate of late, Jimenez has found the home run power a few times since returning a couple of weeks ago.
Luis Robert Jr.: 1-for-3, 1 BB
Reaching base twice is an encouraging sign for the struggling center fielder.
Other Game Highlights
Next Matchup
The South Siders will look to make it three straight victories when Dylan Cease takes the bump tomorrow. He’ll square off against 25-year-old Louie Varland, who pitched six innings of three-run ball in his first season start last time out.
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
