After a weird first game of the series yesterday, the White Sox took care of business this afternoon and evening out in Boston, winning both games of the doubleheader 3-2 and 5-1. Dallas Keuchel and Michael Kopech started both games brilliantly, and the bullpen did its job in bringing the White Sox back to .500 on the season at 8-8.
In game one, the White Sox used timely hits from Tim Anderson (leadoff home run), Yasmani Grandal (RBI 2B), and Yoan Moncada (RBI 1B) as their offense. Aaron Bummer and Liam Hendriks followed Dallas Keuchel with scoreless innings to take the game.
In game two, Michael Kopech made his first start since September 2018, working into the fourth inning. The Yerminator hit his fourth homer of the season, and the Sox got additional RBIs from Jose Abreu, Danny Mendick, and Nick Madrigal in the victory. Matt Foster, Evan Marshall, and Liam Hendriks followed Kopech’s effort.
Game 1 – W: Dallas Keuchel (1-0) | L: Tanner Houck (1-2) | S: Liam Hendriks (2)
Game 2 – W: Matt Foster (1-1) | L: Martin Perez (0-1)
Game 1 – White Sox 3, Red Sox 2 
Game 2 – White Sox 5, Red Sox 1
Savant Leaders
Game 1
Game 2
Notable Performances
Dallas Keuchel: 5 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
Dallas Keuchel was his usual self today, giving the White Sox quality innings while keeping them in the first game. Keuchel told the media that this was the first game this year that he “really felt like [himself],” so here’s hoping that Keuchel can continue to string together solid outings as the season really gets going.
Michael Kopech: 3+ IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
Michael Kopech made his first start since September 2018 and looked fantastic through three innings. He struggled to start off the fourth – likely because he isn’t totally stretched out yet – but his fastball sat 95-97 mph and he showed solid control of the zone. Kopech will likely join the rotation by the end of the season, so his development will be worth continuing to watch.
Tim Anderson (Game 1): 3-for-4, HR, RBI, R
Tim Anderson’s presence in the lineup continues to show its importance, as he paced the top of the White Sox’ offense in game one with a leadoff home run and two more hits after that. Anderson raised his average to .310 in the effort, and will continue to be a force at the top of the lineup.
Yasmani Grandal (Game 1): 1-for-3, 2B, RBI
Though he only had one hit in the game and has continued to struggle early, Grandal added a run on the board in the middle innings with his RBI 2B off the wall in left center field. Though he is only hitting .152, Grandal is still reaching base at a .333 clip, so he is providing value elsewhere.
Yermin Mercedes (Games 1 and 2): 1-for-7, HR, RBI, 3 K
Though the Yerminator didn’t have a great doubleheader, he still found a way to be productive, hammering his fourth home run of the season to centerfield in the fourth. With the effort, Mercedes is hitting just .415 on the season – and he continues to have solid at-bats.
Liam Hendriks: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 1 Save
Liam Hendriks closed out both games this afternoon, and retired the Red Sox pretty easily both times. The animated closer added a save to the ledger in two pretty painless and stress-free outings. He only there about 30 pitches today, so it will be interesting to see how available he is for tomorrow morning’s game.
Nick Madrigal (Game 2): 2-for-3, 2B, 2 RBI, R
Nick Madrigal had himself a solid second game, as he was responsible for two of the runs that score in the game (RBI Double, Sacrifice Fly). Madrigal hit the ball with authority a couple of times in this game, and in the effort, he raised his batting average to .304. Hopefully, this is the beginning of the start of a solid stretch for Madrigal.
Players of the Game
Game 1: Dallas Keuchel; Game 2: Nick Madrigal
Keuchel got the job done in the first game, while Nick Madrigal was a crucial piece of the offense in game two. The White Sox won two very different games today, while relying on timely hitting and solid pitching in both of them. These are the type of quality wins that the White Sox
Next Game
The White Sox have an early game tomorrow morning, with first pitch scheduled for 10:10 AM CT. Lucas Giolito will toe the rubber against Nathan Eovaldi as the White Sox look to win three of four and capture the series victory.
This game will be viewable on NBC Sports Chicago.
