Another day, another defeat for the White Sox in Spring Training. But today wasn’t about the result, it was about the pitchers. Elite prospect southpaws Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith were slated to take the mound, as well as young rotation piece Sean Burke.
Read about their impressive performances and more storylines from Wednesday!
FINAL: Padres 3, White Sox 1
Chicago’s first handful of games have followed a consistent theme, with big-name pitchers living up to hype while the offense struggles mightily. Wednesday was no different, as Schultz, Smith, and Burke allowed no earned runs in their appearances.
Burke allowed just one hit and one walk in his two innings, with a Miguel Vargas error being the culprit for an unearned run. Bryse Wilson, a potential early-season starter filling in for Drew Thorpe, followed suit with two clean innings. Then came Chicago’s lefty stars.
Towering on the mound, Noah Schultz surrendered a single to open his inning but quickly induced a double play and a flyout. Hagen Smith escaped trouble brilliantly, striking out three batters to strand a runner on third who reached there with no outs via a ground ball single, error, and steal.
There isn’t much to discuss on the other side of the plate. Chicago-area product Mike Tauchman tied the game with a home run in the sixth, but the South Siders’ only other successful plate appearances were walks from Luis Robert Jr. and Kyle Teel and an Andrew Vaughn single.
Box Score
Quotes and Interviews
In what might just warm the cold hearts of Sox fans, Smith offered some kind words on his counterpart after the contest.
Schultz had some words of his own on his Wednesday outing.
Chicago Sports Network’s Chuck Garfien then offered some additional commentary on the pair.
Up in the box, White Sox general manager Chris Getz spoke on the team’s guidance under new coach Will Venable.
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Featured Image: Allan Henry-Imagn Images
