After Wednesday’s game was postponed due to poor air quality, the White Sox closed their series with the Yankees on Thursday in a doubleheader.
In game one (which the Sox won 6-5), the Sox took the lead in the second inning off a two-run homer by Jake Burger, as he continues to make his case to the coaching staff that he deserves an everyday role with this team. The Yankees would go on to tie the game in the same inning, and the two teams went back and forth offensively before Eloy Jimenez took the lead in the seventh inning with a two-run homer of his own. From there, the bullpen was tasked with keeping the lead, and although things got interesting in the bottom of the 9th, they were able to do just that.
The bats were the stars of the show for the Sox in that one, as all six of their runs came off of home runs by Burger, Eloy, Luis Robert Jr., and Yoan Moncada. The team had eight hits in total in game one, as the lineup woke up and played the way fans have been waiting for.
On the mound, Lance Lynn struggled through five innings, giving up all five of the Yankees’ runs on eight hits and three walks. Lynn was visibly frustrated with his performance today, as he continues to struggle on the mound. The bullpen was a different story, as Gregory Santos, Joe Kelly, and Reynaldo Lopez combined for three perfect innings to keep the Yankees off the board. Graveman then came in for the save opportunity, and while he gave up a hit and a walk he was able to convert the save to give the Sox the win in game one.
W: Gregory Santos (2-0) | L: Michael King (1-2)
In game two, Pedro Grifol experimented with an unorthodox lineup that rested Tim Anderson, Andrew Benintendi, and Andrew Vaughn and saw Clint Frazier leading off with Gavin Sheets batting second. Unfortunately, this lineup wasn’t able to build off the momentum of game one, as the Yankees’ pitching staff shut them out and held them to just two hits.
The pitching staff shouldn’t be blamed for the loss, as they held the Yankees to just three runs on the day. Mike Clevinger had a fine start, going 5.2 innings. A questionable call in the fourth inning allowed Willie Calhoun to be called safe for a double, and Gleyber Torres capitalized by hitting a two-run homer the next at-bat. Bummer followed Clevinger and was terrific in 1.1 scoreless innings. Garrett Crochet finished the game with a 1-2-3 inning in the eighth inning.
Overall, the White Sox finished the day splitting the doubleheader and clinching the series. The Sox record now sits at 28-36 as they head back to Chicago.
Statcast Breakdown
Game 1
Game 2
Box Score
Game 1
White Sox Scoring Recap – Game 1
- Top of the 2nd: Burger homered to center. Vaughn Scored. 2-0 White Sox.
- Top of the 3rd: Robert Jr. homered to center. 3-2 White Sox.
- Top of the 3rd: Moncada homered to right center. 4-2 White Sox.
- Top of the 7th: Jimenez homered to center. Robert Jr. Scored. 6-5 White Sox
Game 2
Notable Performances
Game 1
Luis Robert Jr.: 3-for-5, HR, 2B, SB, RBI
Luis Robert built off of his two-hit performance on Tuesday, totaling three hits in this one with a home run and a double. He was also dangerous on the base paths, swiping his third bag of the season.
Jake Burger: 2-for-4, HR, 2B, 2 RBI
Jake Burger continues to prove to Pedro Grifol that he deserves to be an everyday player on this team, as he got the Sox on the board with a home run in the second inning and hit a double later in the game.
Game 2
Mike Clevinger: 5.2 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
A questionable call in the 4th inning added a run to Clevinger’s total in this game, but overall he did a fine job in this outing. Clevinger limited the Yankees to only three runs and kept the game within reach.
Aaron Bummer: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
Aaron Bummer was terrific in relief duty in this one. He took over for Clevinger in the 6th inning, inheriting first and third and still coming out of the inning blemish free. He then struck out the side in the 6th inning to finish off his day.
Next Matchup
The White Sox travel back to Chicago tonight, as they prepare to kick off a three-game series against the Miami Marlins tomorrow at 7:10. Dylan Cease is expected to take the mound for the Sox, while 20-year-old pitching phenom Eury Perez will be tabbed for his sixth career start for the Marlins.
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