After two innings, it looked like Spencer Strider was going to cruise against the White Sox offense.
The offense had other ideas.
For the first time in the second half, the White Sox won a ballgame, holding off the Braves 6-5 on a day where it seemed the pitching matchup was very much not in the South Siders’ favor. However, on the back of some strong offensive innings and some breaks from the Braves’ defense, Lance Lynn was able to outduel Spencer Strider – which is a phrase you won’t hear often.
The offense got to work with a three-run third inning, starting with three singles from Zach Remillard, Oscar Colas, and Andrew Benintendi to get the first run on the board. Luis Robert Jr’s double scored the other two before Lance Lynn gave all three back in the bottom of the frame on two home runs. From there, the offense kept going, scoring in three consecutive innings from the fifth through the seventh, with Jake Burger’s 20th home run on the season the most exciting blow in those three innings.
Gregory Santos and Keynan Middleton would follow Lynn’s start with scoreless performances of their own, and despite Kendall Graveman allowing a leadoff homer in the ninth to Ronald Acuna Jr and letting the tying run get into scoring position, the White Sox turned a final game-ending double play to take care of business after all. It was a strong and exciting win in a season that hasn’t shown much of these sorts of performances.
With the victory, the White Sox improve to 39-55. This was also the Braves’ first loss at home since June 11.
W: Lance Lynn (6-8) | L: Spencer Strider (11-3) | S: Kendall Graveman (8)
StatCast Breakdown
Box Score
Offensive Recap:
Pitching Recap:
White Sox Scoring Recap:
- Top 3rd: Andrew Benintendi singles to left field. Zach Remillard scores. 1-0 White Sox
- Top 3rd: Luis Robert doubles to center field. Oscar Colas, Andrew Benintendi score. 3-0 White Sox
- Top 5th: Andrew Benintendi doubles to left field. Seby Zavala scores. 4-3 White Sox
- Top 6th: Jake Burger homers (20) to right field. 5-4 White Sox
- Top 7th: Andrew Benintendi singles to left field. Oscar Colas scores. 6-4 White Sox
Notable Performances
Lance Lynn: 5.1 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 6 K
It was far from Lance Lynn’s strongest performance, but he held one of the top offenses in baseball to just four runs across five-plus innings, which should certainly help his cause on the trade market over the next few weeks.
Andrew Benintendi: 3-for-5, 3 RBI, R, K
Benintendi continues to be the new straw that stirs the drink at the top of the White Sox’ lineup, putting together a three-hit, three-RBI night to push his average up to .285 on the season.
Jake Burger: 2-for-4, HR, RBI, R, K
Today’s Burger Bomb was of the go-ahead variety, his 20th of the season.
Oscar Colas: 2-for-4, 2 R, 2 K
It’s been a tough road for Colas so far in 2023, so it’s nice to see him get a two-hit night under his belt.
Luis Robert Jr: 1-for-4, 2 RBI, 2 K
Robert only had one hit on the evening, but he certainly made it count with the Sox having Strider on the ropes in the early innings of this one.
Next Matchup
The White Sox and Braves will play the rubber match of their series tomorrow afternoon. Dylan Cease will head to the mound opposite Kolby Allard.
The game will begin at 12:35 PM CT over on NBC Sports Chicago.
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Featured Image: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
