Lucas Giolito took the bump on Wednesday night, looking to redeem himself after the Astros tuned him up for seven runs last week. He did that and more, providing six-plus innings of one-run ball. He surrendered four hits and two walks and struck out three on his way to posting a quality start.
Chicago jumped out to an early lead in the first inning by way of a Gavin Sheets two-RBI single through the middle of the infield, scoring Andrew Vaughn and Luis Robert. Sheets came up to bat in yet another big moment in the seventh inning, stepping up to the plate with the bases loaded. The Baltimore-area product delivered once again, this time hitting an infield single and driving in Seby Zavala. Sheets’ three RBIs on the night were a massive reason the Sox were able to win the second game of their three-game series in Baltimore.
In the bottom of the seventh frame, Lucas Giolito recorded one out before allowing two baserunners and being pulled from the game. Kendall Graveman relieved Giolito. After walking the first batter to load the bases, Graveman and the White Sox were now in an extremely sticky situation. However, Yoan Moncada‘s defensive wizardry helped Chicago escape the big jam, as he turned a masterful double play off a groundball to third base, stepping on the bag and rifling the ball to first base in the process. This play proved to be a crucial one in tonight’s two-run win.
The Sox stretched the lead to four in the 8th inning, off of a Louis Head wild pitch (scoring Andrus) and AJ Pollock RBI-single (scoring Romy Gonzalez). While Liam Hendriks allowed a two-run home run to Austin Hays in the bottom of the ninth, he was able to close out the ball game for the South Siders.
With the win, Chicago moves to 63-61 and is four games behind the American League Central-leading Cleveland Guardians.
W: Lucas Giolito (10-7, 5.14 ERA) | L: Spenser Watkins (4-4, 3.96 ERA)
Statcast Leaders
Box Score
Offensive Recap:
Pitching Recap:
White Sox Scoring Recap:
Top of the 1st: Gavin Sheets singles to center field. José Abreu to second. Luis Robert scores. Andrew Vaughn scores. CWS 2- BAL 0.
Top of the 7th: Gavin Sheets singles to shortstop. Luis Robert to second. Andrew Vaughn to third. Seby Zavala scores. CWS 3- BAL 1.
Top of the 8th: On Head’s wild pitch, Gonzàlez to second, Andrus scores. CWS 4- BAL 1.
AJ Pollock singles to center field. Seby Zavala to second. Romy Gonzàlez scores. CWS 5- BAL 1.
Notable Performances
Lucas Giolito: 6.1 IP, 4 H, 2 BB, 1 ER, 3 K
Lucas bounced back in a big way from an ugly outing in his last start against Houston (seven earned runs). He pitched into the seventh inning, tossing 93 pitches and 58 strikes in the efficient performance. In the process, he lowered his ERA from 5.34 to 5.14.
Gavin Sheets: 3-for-5, 3 1B, 3 RBI (33)
Gavin simply loves hitting in his hometown, and had another excellent night at the dish tonight. He’s shown a willingness to use the opposite field and continues to make sound contact on pitches in the zone. While his performance on the road this season still leaves a lot to be desired (.477 OPS on the road entering today), he was a huge contributor in tonight’s victory.
Kendall Graveman: 1.2 IP, 1 BB, 0 H, 1 K
The workman-like reliever induced a massive, inning-ending double play in relief of Lucas Giolito in the 7th inning. He went on to pitch a clean 8th inning as well, lowering his season ERA to 2.58. While he doesn’t receive a ton of praise, Kendall has been rock solid in his first season on the South Side.
Next Game
The rubber match of the White Sox and Orioles’ three-game set will take place tomorrow evening at Camden Yards. Veteran Lance Lynn (5.30 ERA) will toe the rubber for the Sox and right-hander Jordan Lyles (4.61 ERA) will start for Baltimore.
The game is scheduled for 6:05 PM CT and can be viewed on NBC Sports Chicago.
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Featured Photo: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports
