It was a low-scoring affair at Rate Field for Charities Day as Chicago’s Sean Burke dueled with the Guardians’ Parker Messick. For Chicago, two straight wins at home are a lovely response to being 1-5 on the road this past week. The South Siders scraped by in a two-to-one victory, giving the White Sox sole possession of the AL Central again.
Burke’s day concluded at 6.1 innings pitched with a collection of six strikeouts, where Sean Newcomb followed, finding a 2.2 inning save. Both outings served as just enough to hold off a struggling Guardians lineup missing its best hitters, with the Sox barely putting two runs together, on a night with a depleted bullpen.
Parker Messick had an unreal day as well for Cleveland on a similar note, as the Sox maximized the chances they had. Despite a 7.2 inning day with 10 strikeouts, all the hits he gave up were XBH. Colson Montgomery broke a 0-16 streak at the plate with an RBI double down the line to score Randal Grichuk, who was at second from a double. Miguel Vargas‘s homer in the sixth was what won the game, with just enough offense to push past Cleveland.
As a brief note to Charities Day, you can still contribute to a great cause and to our race against fellow White Sox podcasts, here!
Box Score
Batting:
Pitching:
Scoring Summary
Bottom 4th
- Colson Montgomery singles on a ground ball to right fielder Kahlil Watson. Randal Grichuk scores. White Sox lead 1-0
Top 5th
- Kahlil Watson homers on a fly ball to right field. Tied 1-1
Bottom 6th
- Miguel Vargas homers on a ball to left field. White Sox lead 2-1
Key Performers
Sean Burke: 6.1 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, BB, 4 K
Burke’s fantastic night shut down Cleveland on the path to a very important win in division play. Had he not gotten into as much trouble early, Burke easily could have thrown a complete game.
Sean Newcomb: 2.2 IP, BB, 2 K, SV
Newcomb’s relief outing was not only a long save but also gave an overworked bullpen time to rest. It’s a crucial night that could bleed into some assistance as Chicago goes for the sweep tomorrow.
Miguel Vargas: 1-for-4, HR, RBI
Miguel Vargas gave the White Sox the game-winning homer. A silent night otherwise but he continues a trend of mashing lefties as well as breaking a minor slump.
Next Game
The White Sox look for the series sweep on Wednesday when they send Erick Fedde (2-6, 4.46 ERA) to face Guardians righty Grant Brisbee (2-8, 4.03 ERA). First pitch is 1:10 PM CT, with Charities Day continuing until the last pitch is thrown.
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Featured Photo: © Matt Marton-Imagn Images
