The White Sox won a wild game that was temporarily halted with two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning due to the rain. In doing so, the South Siders ended up showing things they haven’t been able to for most of this season: timely hitting and strong pitching from the bullpen.
The Sox got off to an early start today on the backs of an RBI double by Gavin Sheets and a sac fly by Eloy Jimenez, giving them a 1st inning 2-0 lead.
The Sox tacked on another run on a Nolan Gorman error to make it a 3-0 game.
Erick Fedde was cruising until the 5th inning where he gave up five runs thanks to a 2-run double by Brendan Donovan and a 3-run home run by Nolan Arenado, giving the Cardinals a 5-3 lead.
However, that lead did not last long, as back-to-back walks by Sheets and Jimenez allowed Korey Lee to drive in two runs with a single into center, tying the game at 5-5 in the top of the 6th inning.
Strong work by the White Sox bullpen helped keep things knotted at 5 and forced extra innings. The Sox jumped on the opportunity of having a ghost runner on second base in the top of the 10th, with Tommy Pham singling to drive in the go-ahead run.
John Brebbia ended up loading the bases after some less-than-stellar defense from Bryan Ramos at third base. With the bases loaded and nobody out, Brebbia struck out back-to-back batters. There was only one out separating the White Sox from a win when the sky completely opened up, and the tarp was brought onto the field due to the rain. The game was resumed hours later and Tanner Banks struck out Ivan Herrera with the bases loaded to end the game.
W: Michael Kopech (1-3, 4.15 ERA) L: Ryan Fernandez (0-1, 2.70 ERA) S: Tanner Banks (0-2, 5.65 ERA)
Statcast Breakdown
Box Score
Offensive Recap
Pitching Recap
Notable Performances
Korey Lee: 2-4, 2 RBI
Korey Lee continues to impress this season. He had two hits, including his clutch game-tying single in the 6th inning. Lee honestly could have had another hit or two this game, with one of his outs being a 108 mph one-hopper that Nolan Gorman made a great play on, and his other out being a borderline error by Gorman which drove in a run.
White Sox Bullpen: 5.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
The bullpen looked better today than it has any other game all year. Tim Hill relieved Erick Fedde after a rough 5th inning and retired all six batters he faced. Steven Wilson then came in and struck out the two batters he faced. Dominic Leone came into the game, walked the only batter he faced, and left with lower back tightness. Jordan Leasure gave the Sox a spotless 8th inning. Michael Kopech pitched the 9th and almost got in some trouble after allowing two men on base but was able to pitch his way out of it. John Brebbia was able to pitch out of a jam in the bottom of the 10th inning, striking out back-to-back batters before the rain came and put the game on pause. Tanner Banks was on the mound when the game was finally resumed and he got the strikeout the Sox needed to seal the win.
Next Matchup
The White Sox will look for a series win in tomorrow’s day game against the Cardinals. Tomorrow’s projected starter for the Sox is Garrett Crochet (1-4, 5.97 ERA) and the Cardinals’ starter has yet to be determined.
It’s a day game tomorrow starting at 1:15 pm CT, so get your rest! The game will be broadcast on NBC Sports Chicago.
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Featured Image: Jeff Curry / USA TODAY Sports
