James McCann led the offense with four of the team’s eight runs in a blowout at PNC Park. Dane Dunning was also impressive, going six-plus and earning his first major league win in the process. The Sox now improve to 27-16 and have a one game lead at the top of the AL Central.
W: Dane Dunning (1-0) | L: JT Brubaker (1-1)
Notable Performances
Dane Dunning: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
Dane Dunning continued to impress, throwing 51 of his 78 pitches for strikes. He also trusted the defense behind him, inducing 10 groundouts and three flyouts over six shutout frames.
James McCann: 2-for-3, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 2 R
James McCann provided the thunder in the lineup tonight, going deep twice and driving in half of the club’s runs. He will surely earn himself a nice deal this offseason as he enters free agency.
Nick Madrigal: 1-for-4, 2 RBI
After a rough performance on the basepaths last night, Madrigal came up big with a two-RBI single to provide some separation early on.
Other Notables: Yoan Moncada (2-for-5, 2B, RBI, run), Eloy Jimenez (1-for-4, BB, run).
Moment of the Game
You won’t find a bigger group of James McCann fans outside of our crew here at Sox On 35th. Because of that, we’re going with the catcher’s second bomb as our moment of the game.
Player of the Game
This might be shocking…get ready for it…James McCann is the recipient of tonight’s honors.
Looking Ahead
The White Sox will have an off day tomorrow before hosting the Tigers for a three-game series. Lucas Giolito will get the nod on Friday with the rest of the rotation TBD. First pitch is at 7:10 PM CDT.
Be sure to follow us on social media @SoxOn35th for more updates!
This has been a terrific season for the team and its fans! But, I am perplexed by the weak hitting and average fielding of the Nomar experiment and I question the worth of the contribution by Encarnacion as the regular DH. It seems that Engel should be in right field. Renteria needs to find a way to use Grandal and McCann together daily in the lineup. It’s true that the latter tired last season after midsummer due to overuse and catcher fatigue. But, McCann is too valuable to play only every third day.
The Sox need to sign McCann now and play him along with Grandal every game. Do not let McCann leave the Sox family!