A good starting outing by Dylan Cease and a few home runs seemed enough to get the job done without drama tonight. That is until the Rangers scored four runs over the seventh and eighth innings to take a 6-4 lead. It felt like another game the White Sox could’ve won but were letting slip away. Thankfully, this wild game featured a wacky bottom of the eighth that helped the White Sox claw back and secure a 7-6 victory.
A Luis Robert Jr. pinch-hit walk and Yasmani Grandal single put two on with one out for a pinch-hitting Tim Anderson. Anderson was only able to muster a groundout, but it did advance the runners to second and third. This brought up Elvis Andrus, who had homered earlier in the game, for the most crucial at-bat of the game. His opposite-field chopper certainly was less powerful than his fifth-inning home run, but it was just as effective, evading the second baseman’s glove and scoring two.
Then, things got really interesting. Zach Remillard singled to left, and Elvis Andrus tried to score from second to give the White Sox the lead. He was ruled out at the plate. The White Sox challenged, but replays seemed to show that the throw and tag were on the money, and the game would go to the ninth tied.
However, New York overturned the call on the field, stating that Ranger catcher Jonah Heim was interfering with the runner. Looking at the replay, it seemed that the umpires were doing their part to support White Sox Charity Night by giving the team some on-the-field charity, as Heim looked nowhere near the path of Andrus. Upon closer inspection of the rules, however, the catcher cannot be touching home plate while not possessing the ball. While Heim was not impeding Andrus, his foot was on home plate, which allowed the violation to be called and the game-winning run to score.
This topsy-turvy game saw the White Sox continue their power streak with another pair of home runs by Eloy Jimenez and Elvis Andrus. Before the craziness of the eighth, Piedro Grifol made the controversial decision of pulling Gregory Santos with two on and two out and replacing him with Aaron Bummer, who subsequently ceded a double to give the Rangers a 6-4 lead.
Suffice it to say, this game had it all. The White Sox won’t mind, though, as they move within 4.5 games of the 36-38 Minnesota Twins for the AL Central lead.
W: Aaron Bummer (3-1), L: Grant Anderson (1-1), S: Kendall Graveman (7)
Statcast Breakdown
Box Score
Offensive Recap:
Pitching Recap:
White Sox Scoring Recap:
- Bottom of the 1st: Jimenez homered to right center. Vaughn scored. 2-0 White Sox
- Bottom of the 5th: Andrus homered to left center. 3-2 White Sox
- Bottom of the 5th: Vaughn grounded out to third. Remillard scored. 4-2 White Sox
- Bottom of the 8th: Andrus singled to right. Robert Jr and Rodriguez scored. Tied 6-6
- Bottom of the 8th: Remillard singled to left. Andrus scored. 7-6 White Sox
Notable Performances
Dylan Cease: 6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 9 K
Tonight was another solid night in a string of strong starts for Dylan Cease. The outing was not perfect, marred with a home run and a few walks that made the first and fifth innings troublesome. However, Cease’s strong stuff was on display, as he struck out nine against a tough Rangers offense.
Eloy Jimenez: 1-for-4, HR, 2 RBI
Jimenez got the scoring started early in this one, putting the White Sox up 2-0 in the first inning with an opposite-field bomb. The home run was his ninth of the year.
Elvis Andrus: 2-for-4, HR, 3 RBI
Andrus gave the White Sox life at two critical points in tonight’s affair. The first was a solo shot to regain the lead in the fifth after the Rangers had rallied to tie the game at two. The second was at an even more crucial point to tie the game in the eighth. His slow chopper to the right side did just enough to get through and tie up the game.
Next Matchup
The White Sox will go for the series win tomorrow in their third and final game against the Rangers. First pitch is at 7:10 CST.
Michael Kopech is expected to start for the White Sox, while Martin Perez will take the mound for the Rangers.
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Featured Image: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
