After dropping the first game of this series against Oakland, the White Sox were able to grab the final two games, including a 4-1 victory in today’s rubber match.
Dylan Cease got the start for the White Sox and was brilliant once again, his only blemish being a one-out homer by Ramon Laureano in the top of the second inning. From there, Cease worked around a little bit of traffic here and there, but hardly any true rally in the effort. His final line: 6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K. He would leave the game with a 3-1 lead while lowering his ERA on the season to 2.01 in the process. Joe Kelly, Kendall Graveman, and Liam Hendriks would finish off the game as the team imagined when they signed each of them to contracts: scoreless and without much trouble.
The offense had the pleasure of not having to face previously scheduled starter Frankie Montas, and instead found ways to take advantage of Adam Oller. Both Jose Abreu and Eloy Jimenez hit solo homers in the effort today, while Leury Garcia and Seby Zavala both drove in runs of their own throughout the effort. In total, the offense was only able to manage four runs on eight hits, but with Dylan Cease on the mound, that’s been plenty good enough in the past few weeks.
With the win, the White Sox improved to 51-50, have won a series at home for the first time since June, and hope to pick up a game on the Twins.
W: Dylan Cease (11-4) | L: Adam Oller (1-4) | S: Liam Hendriks (20)
StatCast Breakdown
Box Score
Offensive Recap:
Pitching Recap:
White Sox Scoring Recap:
Bottom 2nd: Jose Abreu homers (12). 1-1 Tie
Bottom 2nd: Leury Garcia singles to RF. Josh Harrison scores. 2-1 White Sox
Bottom 2nd: Seby Zavala doubles to CF. Leury Garcia scores. 3-1 White Sox
Bottom 7th: Eloy Jimenez homers (5) to RCF. 4-1 White Sox
Notable Performances
Dylan Cease: 6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K
The one blemish on Cease’s afternoon was the Laureano homer, but Cease threw six strong innings and probably could’ve started a seventh had the White Sox felt it was necessary. Cease continues to stay at the top or near the top of the MLB strikeout leaderboard with each effort while his ERA continues to fall.
Jose Abreu: 2-for-4, HR (12), RBI, R
Abreu continues to be incredibly reliable this season, and with today’s effort, he has now reached safely in 31 of the last 32 ballgames he’s played in. While this was just Abreu’s 12th homer on the season, he’s shown his value as a leader and professional daily – though the .302 average on the season certainly helps that as well.
Eloy Jimenez: 1-for-3, HR (5), RBI, R
Jimenez has been hitting everything in sight recently, and while the results haven’t shown it yet, he looks locked in at the plate. Hopefully, this power surge can continue as the club plays the soft part in their schedule.
Leury Garcia: 2-for-3, RBI, R
Garcia had a nice two-hit effort on the game, raising his average on a difficult season to .211. His RBI single in the second kept the inning alive and scored a run in the process.
Follow us @SoxOn35th for more updates throughout the season!
Featured Image: Quinn Harris-USA TODAY Sports