After dropping a wild ballgame last night, the White Sox got right back to work in starting a new winning streak tonight.
On the mound, the White Sox were led by Lucas Giolito, who became just the second White Sox starter to complete seven innings this season. His only blemish on the night was the home run he gave up to Josh Naylor late in his outing, and in total, he struck out five Guardians en route to the victory tonight. He was followed on the mound in the eighth inning by Jose Ruiz and Bennett Sousa, who combined to work through the top of the Guardians lineup without allowing a run to score. Ruiz worked 0.2 innings and Sousa finished off the final 0.1 IP in the eighth.
The White Sox offense continues to show signs of some improvement, as although they did not walk in the process, also only struck out three times all game. Tim Anderson was the leader once again, adding three hits and two RBI on the night at the top of the order. The other two RBI came via Gavin Sheets’ second homer in as many nights on a mistake from Cal Quantrill that was hammered into the former Goose Island section. every starter except Jose Abreu and AJ Pollock turned in a hit in the effort, and in total, the White Sox had ten hits and two stolen bases on the night.
Kendall Graveman came in to shut the door, getting two quick outs before allowing the next two runners to reach base. The game ended on a wild play at first base that saw Jose Abreu trip, yet still beat Andres Gimenez in a footrace to the bag on a call that was eventually overturned.
With the win, the White Sox move back above .500 at 15-14 and get their first win of the season against Cleveland.
W: Lucas Giolito (2-1) | L: Cal Quantrill (1-2) | S: Kendall Graveman (2)
StatCast Breakdown
Box Score
Offensive Recap:
Pitching Recap:
White Sox Scoring Recap:
Bottom 5th: Tim Anderson singles to CF. Josh Harrison scores. 1-0 White Sox
Bottom 6th: Gavin Sheets homers (3) to RF. Luis Robert scores. 3-0 White Sox
Bottom 7th: Tim Anderson doubles to RF. Adam Engel scores. 4-1 White Sox
Notable Performances
Lucas Giolito: 7.0 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
It wasn’t Giolito’s most dominant night in terms of strikeouts, but throughout the game, he was consistently throwing all of his pitches for strikes and getting Guardians’ hitters out early in the count. Over his last nine starts against the Guardians, Giolito now has posted a 0.92 ERA against the club.
Gavin Sheets: 1-for-4, HR (3), 2 RBI, R
If the White Sox are going to be successful in 2022, it would be nice to get some of that production from a left handed bat such as Gavin Sheets. Sheets homered once again, this time taking a cutter from Cal Quantrill out with two strikes in the sixth inning, giving the White Sox a cushion they would not relinquish. Sheets has suffered early this season, but if he can turn around his early season struggles, he can continue to be a force for the White Sox.
Tim Anderson: 3-for-4, 2 RBI
Tim Anderson just continues to hit – another day that’s business as usual for the White Sox’ leadoff hitter. He turned in a crafty play in the field as well on his three-hit night, bumping his average to .347 on the season.
The Next Matchup
The White Sox will try to secure a series win in tomorrow afternoon’s rubber match, as Vince Velasquez will go to the mound against Aaron Civale of the Guardians.
The game will begin at 1:10 PM CT and can be viewed over on NBC Sports Chicago.
