Guardians 7, White Sox 6: Naylor Bros take over in defeat

“The Naylor put a nail in the coffin” – Chuck Garfien (NBC Sports Chicago).

This was a tough loss for the South Siders, who took an early 5-0 run in the top of the third only to allow five straight unanswered runs, all off homers, from Josh Naylor, Bo Naylor, and Steven Kwan. The game would stay tied until extras when the Sox scored a promising run off of a Sheets double in the top of the 10th. Per usual, the ghost runner on second cursed the Sox when the Naylor brothers hit a double and a single, respectively, to win the game for the Guardians.

There was a missed opportunity in the top of the ninth when the Sox had a chance to expand the lead. After a Paul Dejong double, Nicky Lopez sent a sacrifice bunt to send Dejong over to 3rd base, only for Clase to make an error and have both men safe at the corners with zero outs. After this, Robbie Grossman put the ball in the play only for Dejong to sit at third base and watch the double play happen and the inning to end scoreless with a Lenyn Sosa ground out.

Even with the loss, Gavin Sheets had a fantastic day and is stirring conversations for him to be in the lineup every day, even when Eloy Jimenez comes back.

W:  Eli Morgan (1-0) | L: Bryan Shaw (0-1)

Statcast Breakdown

Box Score

Offensive Recap:

Pitching Recap:

Notable Performances

Gavin Sheets (1B): 3-for-5, HR, 5 RBI, 2 R, K

Gavin Sheets looked great at the plate tonight. He worked some great at-bats, taking good pitcher’s pitches and turning them into damage. There is a reason our Michael Suareo calls him Gavin Bonds.

Robbie Grossman (RF): 1-for-3, 2 R, 2 BB

Robbie Grossman is a breath of fresh air in the White Sox lineup as he has shown treasonous plate discipline in his short White Sox career.

Next Matchup

The White Sox return home to start their series against the Cincinnati Reds tomorrow night. The White Sox will have Chris Flexen on the mound and he will face off against young Andrew Abbott.

That game will kick off at 6:40 PM CT live from Guaranteed Rate Field on NBC Sports Chicago.

Follow us @SoxOn35th for more throughout the season!

Featured Image: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports