After falling just short against the Padres in Sunday’s series finale, the White Sox bounced back with a complete win over the Angels on Monday.
Davis Martin was the story of the night, turning in seven shutout innings while striking out a career-high 10 batters. The right-hander allowed just five hits and needed only 85 pitches, 19 of which were swinging strikes. With his latest masterpiece, Martin lowered his ERA to a crisp 1.64, which ranks third best in the majors.
On the offensive side, contributions from up and down the lineup led to an early exit from Angels’ ace Jose Soriano. The party got started in the first inning with pair of RBI singles, which led to a quick 2-0 lead in the first. That quickly grew in the fourth after back-to-back homers from Munetaka Murakami and Miguel Vargas made it 5-0.
Offensively, the White Sox received contributions from up and down the lineup, forcing an early exit for Angels ace Jose Soriano. The scoring began in the first inning with a pair of RBI singles that quickly gave the Sox a 2-0 lead. The bats kept rolling in the fourth, when back-to-back home runs from Munetaka Murakami and Miguel Vargas stretched that to 5-0.
Other notable performances included a four-hit night from Andrew Benintendi in the designated hitter role. Sam Antonacci also impressed out of the leadoff spot, reaching base three times and scoring twice. Even Jarred Kelenic chipped in with three singles, showing some signs of life at the plate.
With the win, the White Sox improved to 17-18 and moved to within half a game of first place in the AL Central. Buckle up, Sox fans!
Box Score
Batters:
Pitchers:
Key Performers
Davis Martin: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 10 K
The ace of the staff earns the top mention for turning in the best start of his career. The numbers speak for themselves.
Munetaka Murakami: 3-for-4, HR (14), 2B, 3 R, 2 RBI, BB
After Aaron Judge hit his 14th homer to take over the top spot on the leaderboard, Mune wasted no time answering with a moonshot to dead-center. The Japanese superstar later got his first career double and ended the night just a triple shy of the cycle!
Andrew Benintendi: 4-for-5, RBI
A four-hit night by Benny will get a mention every single time.
Next Game
The White Sox return to the field at the same time, same place on Tuesday. Erick Fedde (0-3, 3.24) takes the bump against a mystery pitcher to be named later for the Angels.
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Featured Photo: © Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
