It felt closer than it should have at times, but in the end, the White Sox have guaranteed they will be going home with a series victory over the Giants with a chance to sweep tomorrow.
Dylan Cease got the start in today’s game shortly after being named the AL Pitcher of the Month in June. He struggled with his fastball command, and on top of facing a team with one of the lowest chase rates in baseball, faced traffic on the basepaths every inning in the game. However, after the ominous start via the Lamonte Wade Jr. leadoff homer, Cease prevented any further damage over five innings of work. He would be followed by two scoreless innings by Tanner Banks, a shaky outing from Joe Kelly, and a closed-down ninth inning by Kendall Graveman. Kelly got two quick outs in his eighth inning but proceeded to give up a walk, double, and another walk before finally getting the last out and limiting the damage to one run. Graveman, on the other hand, saw the tying run reach base after three hits and a fielder’s choice. But, Mike Yazstremski grounded out to end the game before the tying run could cross.
On the other side of the card, the offense was provided some gifts throughout the day by the Giants’ defense. Gavin Sheets’ two-RBI “double” was misplayed by Joc Pederson in left field, while Donovan Walton threw the ball away on a potential inning-ending double play off the bat of Leury Garcia in the sixth that allowed two runs to score for the Sox. The team saw multi-hit performances from Tim Anderson, Gavin Sheets, and Yoan Moncada in the three-run victory today.
With the win, the White Sox improved to 37-39 and will look for the sweep tomorrow afternoon.
W: Dylan Cease (7-3) | L: Logan Webb (7-3) | S: Kendall Graveman (5)
StatCast Breakdown
Box Score
Offensive Recap:
Pitching Recap:
White Sox Scoring Recap:
Top 4th: Gavin Sheets doubles to LF. Tim Anderson, Andrew Vaughn score. 2-1 White Sox
Top 4th: Yoan Moncada singles to RF. Jose Abreu scores. 3-1 White Sox
Top 6th: Leury Garcia grounds into a force out. Error by Donovan Walton. Jose Abreu, Adam Haseley score. 5-1 White Sox
Notable Performances
Dylan Cease: 5 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
Cease wasn’t his sharpest in this game, and he had to work around traffic on the basepaths in all five innings. However, he consistently shut down rallies and kept the White Sox in the game until the offense could provide the extra runs necessary. Cease lowered his ERA to 2.51 on the season after this start.
Gavin Sheets: 2-for-3, 2 2B, 2 RBI
Sheets was pinch-run for in the sixth inning, but not before he provided two important doubles to the White Sox offense. It hasn’t been the season Sheets had been hoping for, but his at-bats have been vastly improved since he’s returned from AAA.
Tanner Banks: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
With Dylan Cease battling his command today, it turned out to be a shorter outing than he had likely hoped. With a depleted bullpen with Liam Hendriks and Aaron Bummer still on the shelf, Tanner Banks stepped up and gave the White Sox two scoreless innings after giving them an inning yesterday as well. Banks has had some up-and-down outings throughout this season, but it’s been a nice series for Banks on the mound in San Francisco.
Yoan Moncada: 2-for-3, RBI
Yoan Moncada hasn’t had the season he’s hoped to up to this point, to put it lightly. However, his at-bats have been much improved recently, and he continues to show progress with another 2-for-3 effort today that included a hit from both sides of the plate.
The Next Matchup
The White Sox will send Lucas Giolito to the mound tomorrow in hopes of achieving a series sweep in the Bay Area. The Giants’ starter has not yet been announced, but it is a presumed bullpen day for San Francisco.
The game begins at 3:05 CT and can be viewed on NBC Sports Chicago.
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Featured Image: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
