What a wild sequence of events today. At the end of it all, the White Sox got themselves a split.
After mounting a three-run comeback in game one this afternoon, only to watch Liam Hendriks give up three runs in the ninth to lose 7-4, the White Sox mounted a three-run lead of their own in the second game tonight to go up 3-0 in the seventh. At that point, things went south, necessitating some late heroics from AJ Pollock and Matt Foster to take this one home.
Lance Lynn got the start in game two and looked much closer to the Lynn we’ve gotten to know throughout his tenure on the South Side. His fastball looked a lot better, amassing a 45% Whiff Rate on the pitch throughout the night. He completed six scoreless innings and looked to be prepared to get himself a win after leaving the game with a 3-0 lead.
Enter Jose Ruiz in the seventh, who struggled in a high-leverage situation and gave up three runs before exiting. He would be relieved by Reynaldo Lopez, who gave up a go-ahead RBI triple to Amed Rosario to complete the turnaround for the Guardians. However, the Sox were able to mount their comeback in the bottom of the eighth, thanks to a double by Andrew Vaughn, walks by Jose Abreu and Yasmani Grandal, and a two-RBI single by AJ Pollock to put the Sox ahead for good. Matt Foster would complete the ninth, walking the leadoff hitter before getting a sac bunt, groundout, and lineout to complete a wild victory in Chicago.
Other standouts include Yoan Moncada and Eloy Jimenez, who were responsible for the first three runs of the game for the Sox (Moncada RBI BB, RBI 2B, Jimenez HR).
With the win, the White Sox are right back at one game under .500 at 47-48 with a chance to split the series tomorrow.
W: Joe Kelly (1-2) | L: Bryan Shaw (4-2) | S: Matt Foster (1)
StatCast Breakdown
Box Score
Offensive Recap:
Pitching Recap:
White Sox Scoring Recap:
Bottom 3rd: Yoan Moncada walks. AJ Pollock scores. 1-0 White Sox
Bottom 5th: Yoan Moncada doubles to CF. Tim Anderson scores. 2-0 White Sox
Bottom 6th: Eloy Jimenez homers (3) to LF. 3-0 White Sox
Bottom 8th: AJ Pollock singles to SS, deflected by 3B. Andrew Vaughn, Jose Abreu score. 5-4 White Sox
Notable Performances
Lance Lynn: 6 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
After 30 innings of pretty bad baseball from Lynn upon his return from knee surgery, he looked like the Lynn of old in this one. If the White Sox are going to succeed in the second half, Lynn and the rest of the rotation are going to need to play a huge role.
Yoan Moncada: 2-for-3, 2B, 2 RBI, BB, 2 K
Yoan Moncada’s been on a pretty good tear as of late, and he continued it throughout both games in today’s doubleheader over at third base.
Eloy Jimenez: 2-for-4, HR (3), RBI, R
If the White Sox are going to score more runs in the second half, Eloy Jimenez home runs are going to need to be a big part of it. Tonight was a good start in the right direction.
AJ Pollock: 2-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI, R
In what’s been a pretty brutal season for Pollock, he’s found his ways to deliver late in games.
The Next Matchup
The White Sox will go for the series split tomorrow afternoon, as Dylan Cease will go to the mound against Shane Bieber.
The game will begin over on NBC Sports Chicago at 1:10 PM CT.
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Featured Image: Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports
