The White Sox drew a marquee, nationally televised matchup with the vaunted Dodgers on Wednesday night. Chicago was tasked with facing future Hall-of-Famer Clayton Kershaw, who is having an excellent year on the bump to date (2.95 ERA). After cruising in the first inning, the Sox’ two best sluggers got the best of Kershaw in the second and third frames.
Jake Burger smoked an opposite-field homerun (103.1 mph exit velocity) in the second, and Luis Robert Jr. followed him with a solo shot of his own in the third (104.4 mph exit velocity). The Sox jumped out to an early 2-0 lead.
Mike Clevinger toed the rubber for the ‘Southsiders’ on Wednesday and was dialed in through four-plus innings. Much to the chagrin of Sox nation, he hurt his throwing arm in the bottom of the fifth frame, and was forced to leave the contest. According to the White Sox, the injury is “right bicep soreness” and he will be evaluated tomorrow.
After Clevinger’s exit, the Dodgers bats got rolling a bit, turning in a four-run sixth inning and claiming a 4-2 lead. Things looked bleak for Chicago until Jake Burger played the hero yet again, this time launching a two-run home run off the foul pole in the eighth inning to tie the game at 4-4.
They would take the lead in that very same frame after a Clint Frazier RBI single scored Andrew Benintendi, putting the Sox up 5-4. An Eloy Jiménez RBI single and Benintendi two-RBI single in the top of the ninth inning gave the Sox plenty of breathing room at 8-4, and Kendall Graveman closed Los Angeles out shortly thereafter.
With the thrilling victory, the White Sox move to 30-39 and remain 5.5 GB the AL-Central leading Minnesota Twins.
W: Reynaldo Lopez (2-4) | L: Alex Vesia (0-3)
Statcast Breakdown
Box Score
Offensive Recap:
Pitching Recap:
White Sox Scoring Recap:
- Top of the 2nd: Burger homered to center (393 feet). 1-0 White Sox.
- Top of the 3rd: Robert Jr. homered to left (390 feet). 2-0 White Sox.
- Top of the 8th: Burger homered to left (380 feet). Jiménez scored. 4-4 tie.
- Top of the 9th: Frazier singled to center. Benintendi scored. 5-4 White Sox.
- Top of the 9th: Jiménez singled to center. Vaughn scored, Robert Jr. to third. 6-4 White Sox.
- Top of the 9th: Benintendi singled to left. Robert Jr. and González scored. 8-4 White Sox.
Notable Performances
Mike Clevinger: 4.2 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 5 K
Clevinger had it rolling tonight prior to his unfortunate exit, generating 11 swings and misses in less than five innings. He didn’t allow a run in the strong effort, and we hope for better news in regard to his injury diagnosis.
Luis Robert Jr.: 2-for-5, 2B, Solo HR (16), RBI, R
Luis golfed a 1-1 curveball from Clayton Kershaw over the left-field fence in the third inning for a solo shot. As the ESPN broadcast pointed out tonight, he’s been one of the best hitters in the American League since May 1st, as he was second in the AL in extra-base hits entering the contest. He added two more on the evening, both key in the victory.
Eloy Jiménez: 2-for-5, 2B, RBI, R, K
Eloy returned from a four-game absence (left calf soreness) with a bang, turning in a multi-hit effort on Wednesday night. Though he didn’t look great running the bases, it’s expected that he’s mainly utilized as the designated hitter, at least throughout the next several days.
Jake Burger: 2-for-5, Solo HR (14), 2-Run HR (15) 3 RBI, 2 R, K
Jake’s first career multi-homerun game couldn’t have come at a better time. He powered the ballclub to victory tonight and continues to prove his importance to this team and lineup.
Yasmani Grandal: 3-for-5, 2B, 2 K
While “Yaz” didn’t cross the plate tonight or drive anyone in, the three-hit effort is a welcomed performance for the veteran catcher.
Next Matchup
The White Sox will close their series with the Dodgers on Thursday night, in the hopes of taking the rubber match. Dodgers’ young right-hander Michael Grove is slated to square off against Chicago’s ace, Dylan Cease.
The first pitch is scheduled for 9:10 PM CST and can be viewed on NBC Sports Chicago.
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Featured Image: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
