The White Sox found themselves on the right end of a pitcher’s duel on Saturday night, notching an impressive series win with a chance for a second straight sweep on Sunday.
Sean Burke looked as dominant as he’s ever been, tossing six scoreless innings against a potent San Diego lineup. The right-hander struck out eight while allowing just four hits and one walk.
For much of the night, runs were hard to come by against Padres starter Michael King, but the White Sox finally broke through in the sixth inning. Miguel Vargas delivered the game’s first big moment with a bloop RBI single that plated a pair and gave the South Siders a 2-0 advantage.
The Sox added some critical insurance runs an inning later. Edgar Quero first punched a hard-hit line-drive through the infield for an RBI single to extend the lead before Tristan Peters capped off the rally with a perfectly executed bunt to make it 4-0.
The bullpen did the rest, as Grant Taylor took the ball into the ninth, before Seranthony Dominguez cleaned up a bases-loaded mess to notch his eighth save. The win marks the White Sox’s fifth straight victory as they continue to hang around in the AL Central race, sitting just 1.5 games off the Cleveland Guardians.
W: Sean Burke (2-2, 2.72 ERA) | L: Michael King (3-2, 2.95 ERA) | S: Seranthony Dominguez (8)
Box Score
Batters:
Pitchers:
Scoring Summary
- Top 6th: Miguel Vargas singles on a soft line drive to right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. Tristan Peters scores. Andrew Benintendi scores. CWS 2, SD 0
- Top 7th: Edgar Quero singles on a ground ball to right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. Chase Meidroth scores. Sam Antonacci to 3rd. CWS 3, SD 0
- Top 7th: Tristan Peters out on a sacrifice bunt, first baseman Gavin Sheets to second baseman Jake Cronenworth. Sam Antonacci scores. Edgar Quero to 2nd. CWS 4, SD 0
Key Performers
Sean Burke: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K
The right-hander built off his last outing and continued his dominant stretch, holding the Padres scoreless through six innings. While his curveball wasn’t as sharp as it could’ve been, Burke had everything else working in his favor.
Miguel Vargas: 1-for-4, 2 RBI
The White Sox third baseman got the scoring started with a 2-RBI bloop single in the 6th. That’s all the team would need, though some extra insurance never hurt anyone.
Tristan Peters: 1-for-1, RBI, R, BB
The bunt god deserves a mention here for dropping two gems, one of which led to a key insurance run in the seventh.
Next Game
The White Sox will look to complete back-to-back sweeps on Sunday, with first pitch scheduled for 3:10 p.m. CT. Anthony Kay (1-1, 6.12 ERA) will get the nod, though the Padres’ starting pitcher is still TBD.
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Featured Photo: David Frerker-Imagn Images
