Athletics 12, White Sox 11 (14 innings): It ends with a starter
A “followed-from-work” afternoon recap turned into a “missed-a-chunk-driving-home” recap, which ended around the time an East Coast pitchers’ duel gets over. Fill in the details I missed.
*Because Carson Fulmer couldn’t retire a batter in the second, this one ended with James Shields on the mound. Shields retired the first two, but Marcus Semien kept the inning alive with a single, and after two walks, Matt Olson ended the game with a walk-off single to the base of the left field wall.
*Bruce Rondon’s heroic relief work went for naught. As the last man in the bullpen, he pitched the 11th, 12th and 13th innings, throwing a career-high 47 pitches.
*Combining both teams, 18 pitchers threw a total of 556 pitches over the five hours and 48 minutes this game took to complete.
*The White Sox had a key opportunity in the 11th against Lee Carvallo Lou Trivino. Yolmer Sanchez doubled to the left-center gap with one out, and Jose Abreu followed with a single that was hit too hard to left to score Sanchez. The Sox had a matchup advantage with Nicky Delmonico, but he struck out, as did Matt Davidson after losing a 10-pitch battle.
*The White Sox staked Carson Fulmer to a 6-1 lead after Yoan Moncada’s first career grand slam in the second inning, but he couldn’t get out of the second inning. He couldn’t retire any of the first four batters — homer, double, two walks — and so he got the hook. Fulmer had opened the game by allowing three first-inning hits, but escaped allowing just a run. He wasn’t so lucky in the second.
His final line: 1 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 0 K, 1 HR, with just 21 of 46 pitches thrown for strikes.
*Fulmer had company, most notably the combination of Danny Farquhar and Luis Avilan, who surrendered three runs and the lead in the eighth. Farquhar allowed a leadoff double that came around to score on a wild pitch and a sac fly, but at least Avilan was able to enter with the bases clear. It didn’t matter. After getting a flyout, he walked Marcus Semien and gave up a two-run homer to Jed Lowrie on a full count. That gave Oakland an 11-10 lead.
*Because they played X innings, you know the Sox tied it up. Blake Treinen retired the first two, but Welington Castillo kept the inning alive with a double. Tyler Saladino pinch-ran and scored when Tim Anderson singled.
*The long relievers were the only pitchers to cover themselves in glory, and even then there’s a catch. Hector Santiago and Chris Volstad allowed just one run on two hits and two walks over 5⅔ innings, they did allow three of four inherited runners to score. Santiago came in with the bases loaded and allowed two of those runs to score, while Volstad allowed both of Aaron Bummer’s runners to come around.
*Had the Sox been able to protect the lead, Moncada would’ve been the easy star of the game. He went 2-for-7 with the grand slam, a walk, a stolen base, four RBIs andn three runs scored. As it stood, the 2-for-7 looks less impressive in the box score. What that doesn’t show is the diving stab he made to record the third out in the ninth, and an over-the-shoulder grab in the 10th.
*Delmonico also made a nice ranging play in left. The Sox and A’s played errorless ball, which is rather remarkable given the length of the game and the sun conditions at various points.
*The White Sox went 8-for-20 with runners in scoring position, raising their season average in the clutch from .158 to .193.
*They ran wild on Bruce Maxwell and Jonathan Lucroy, going 4-for-4 against the former, and 1-for-1 against the latter. Leury Garcia swiped two, and Moncada, Anderson and Delmonico each had one (corrected).
*Avisail Garcia was the only player on the bench at the end of the game.
*Leury Garcia had an annoying bunt attempt that resulted in Matt Davidson getting forced at second at some point. It was a long game.
Record: 4-11 | Box score
Author
This could be a season like 1989 where the Sox were absolutely horrible for months and an infusion of young talent led to late-season improvement. That trajectory would be in keeping with the goals of a rebuild, and would make sense given some of the additions likely by the end of summer.
This is what I’m hoping.
Hey, at least they hit?
Sigh well at least the offense is a take away, or so I was thinking until that sad lackluster showing in extras. But still 11 runs is 11 runs, it’s not on them. This bullpen is such a joke that the guy named Bummer in it is truly a bummer. And Fulmer, jesus christ man…
Moncadas k rate is back under 40%
I have to cop to being one of those Sox fans who were strongly against drafting “athletes” for a long time, mainly because it always seemed to be multi-sport athletes with comparatively little organized baseball experience whose carrying tools were always crippled by glaring lack of hit tool/defensive chops/whatever. In retrospect, I might have just been looking at every White Sox prospect and seeing Joe Borchard (I’ll also cop to this not being terribly generous on my part). I suppose this is an object lesson in how continual failure can sour you on an otherwise sound strategy, even if there’s every reason to believe that it should bear real fruit one of these days. I’ve come around to the other way of thinking, if for no other reason than, as Jim says, the lack of any kind of interesting talent at 2nd and short in the minors does not bode well for the team’s long term outlook.
Side note: Jim, were you the one who found the quote last year about how executives often fall in love with prospects who most remind them of themselves at that age? That quote comes to mind when thinking of the Sox lack of first round production over the last 2 decades, or so.
Edit: And now I realize this isn’t being posted in the Sox Machine Live thread, as intended. Eh, whatever.
It was a quote from Rockets GM Daryl Morey in Michael Lewis’ last book.
That’s what I remember. Thank you. I suppose it might be for the best that Hahn doesn’t have a playing career to harken back to. And on a completely unrelated note, do you know if Hostetler ever played pro ball?
Interesting you should share this on the same day they release Courtney Hawkins.
*Extremely Dickie V voice*
“SERENDIPITY BABY!”
This team really sucks.
I know you know, but I had to say it.
Wasn’t it five steals? Box score said Delmonico had one.
Yes sir. Also, all but one steal was off of Maxwell not Lucroy. Lucroy subbed for Maxwell in the 9th, I think.
Corrected, thank you both.