The first day of a six-game homestand featured another frustrating offensive output for the White Sox, who failed to score in the first five innings. With the injury to Mike Clevinger, Tanner Banks started on the other side of the ball. He threw 3.2 innings, ceding three runs. Nick Padilla followed with 1.2 innings of scoreless ball.
This is a good Rangers offense, and only conceding three runs in five innings of a bullpen day made the game winnable. The White Sox gave the game some life in the sixth with back-to-back solo shots by Andrew Vaughn and Luis Robert Jr.
The comeback trail went cold in the seventh after Aaron Bummer came in during the middle of the inning and walked two batters before giving up a two-RBI single to Jonah Heim, giving the Rangers a 5-2 lead.
The frustration only amplified in the eighth and ninth. A pair of singles and an error saw the White Sox load the bases with one out in the eighth, only to see consecutive strikeouts by Yasmani Grandal and Jake Burger end the threat.
The story was similar in the ninth. The bottom of the lineup worked to get two men on base and the tying run to the plate with nobody out. Once again, the White Sox could not capitalize, and three consecutive outs secured their defeat, dropping their record to 31-43.
W Andrew Heaney (5-4) | L: Tanner Banks (0-2) | S: Will Smith (13)
Statcast Breakdown
Box Score
Offensive Recap:
Pitching Recap:
White Sox Scoring Recap:
- Bottom of the 6th: Vaughn homered to left. 3-1 Rangers
- Bottom of the 6th: Robert Jr. homered to center. 3-2 Rangers
Notable Performances
Andrew Vaughn: 2-for-4, HR, RBI
Vaughn was part of the back-to-back home runs in the sixth, accounting for half of the White Sox’s offensive output. The solo shot was his ninth of the year.
Luis Robert Jr: 2-for-3, HR, RBI
Robert Jr. was the other half of the home run duo for the White Sox, blasting his 18th of the year. He reached base three total times on the day, with a single and hit-by-pitch to add to his home run.
Next Matchup
The White Sox continue their three-game series against the Rangers tomorrow at 7:10 CST. Expected starters are Dylan Cease for the White Sox and Nathan Eovaldi for the Rangers.
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Featured Image: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
How often do walks come back to bite you in the rear? Two walks score to put the Sox down 5-2. In Seattle on Sunday, a two out walk was followed by a two run hit. Of course, the offense did its part last night by loading the bases with one out only for the next two batters to strike out. Two on in the ninth, no one scores. This is the same old tired story over and over again! Nothing will change as long as the team continues to rely on the same unproductive ‘”core!” Twelve games below .500, and given the coming week’s schedule, I see this team pushing 20 below .500 by the end of the month!