White Sox 5, Rangers 4 (10 innings): Squeezing out a win
Tonight was a good night for the rebuild. Going into extra innings, Eloy Jimenez singled to start the rally and advanced to third on Tim Anderson’s single. After missing on laying down the bunt on the first pitch, Yolmer Sanchez got the second fastball down rolling towards the first base side on a squeeze play plating Jimenez for the game-winner.
The game featured a starting pitcher recovering nicely, the re-emergence of 2018 Jace Fry, and a first career home run as the White Sox move back to one game under .500 beating Texas, 5-4.
Reynaldo Lopez started the game off on the wrong foot. After giving up a single to Shin-Soo Choo, who was erased on a fielders choice at second on a grounder from Elvis Andrus, Nomar Mazara hit a two-run homer to give Texas an early lead. When it finally landed in the upper deck, Mazara’s shot flew a distance of 505 feet taking the lead for the longest home run hit in 2019.
Guys, Nomar Mazara hit a ball to the moon today.
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) June 22, 2019
Measured at 505 Feet, it's the longest home run ever at the Ranger's Ballpark in the Statcast Era. (via @Rangers) pic.twitter.com/VF6fsWgQlO
That advantage wouldn’t last a half inning. With two outs, Ariel Jurado tried to beat Tim Anderson with an inside fastball, but it was hit back up the middle for a single. Next was Yolmer Sanchez, and he got on base the painful way by getting caught in the foot by a pitch. Setting the table for Zack Collins who was still seeking his first professional at-bat after walking against the Chicago Cubs in his only plate appearance. Working the count full, Jurado threw a breaking pitch in the zone hoping to get the rookie to swing and miss.
Except Collins didn’t miss. He firmly squared the hanger up for a mammoth blast to dead center field for his first professional hit and home run giving the Sox a 3-2 lead.
Zack Collins, WELCOME TO THE SHOW! pic.twitter.com/QQkkcUd2r2
— White Sox Talk (@NBCSWhiteSox) June 22, 2019
Lopez’s struggles to command any of his pitches continued in the bottom half when he hung a changeup in the heart of the zone to Rougned Odor mashing to the right field bleachers for a solo home run.
Tied 3-3, Yoan Moncada hit his 15th double of the season with a line drive to the left field wall. After James McCann walked, Eloy Jimenez hit a grounder just passed a diving Elvis Andrus at shortstop to drive in Moncada and giving the Sox a one-run lead.
Lopez recovered nicely after the second inning throw three consecutive scoreless innings spanning from the third to fifth. Starting the sixth inning, Lopez got Mazara to ground into a 6-3 forceout, but Willie Calhoun singled to center. Manager Rick Renteria decided not to push Lopez any further and called for Aaron Bummer out of the bullpen. Throwing 100 pitches, Lopez’s final line was 5.1 IP 6 H 3 ER 1 BB 4 K which helped lower his season ERA to 6.23. Bummer continued his early season dominance striking out both Asdrubal Cabrera and Odor.
In the seventh inning, Odor made an excellent no-look over-the-shoulder lob on a hard hit grounder by Charlie Tilson for the fielders choice. Batting right-handed, Moncada hit a deep fly ball that split the gap in left field and landed short of the wall. Just a few feet further and it would have been a home run, but if the ball didn’t bounce over the wall, it would have scored Tilson. A bit lucky for the Rangers, it did end up being a ground rule double for Moncada and Tilson was at third base. It was up to Abreu to drive the runners in, but his hard hit line drive was right at Danny Santana in center ending the threat.
Bummer started the seventh inning and allowed a leadoff walk which became a runner on second after a sacrifice bunt setting the table for Choo was already 3-for-3 on the night. On a 1-1 pitch, Choo hit a liner that hit Bummer, but the lefty was able to recover to make the throw to first for the second out. After catching his breath, Bummer stayed in the game to face Danny Santana.
Much weaker hitter from the right side, Santana was able to hit a grounder to right field. Trying to make a good scoop and throw to home, Tilson forgot to field the grounder going under his glove which allowed the tying run to score. Bummer was lifted for Evan Marshall, who struck out Elvis Andrus ending the inning.
McCann walked to start the eighth inning but was stuck there after Jimenez popped out to left field, and back-to-back strikeouts for Anderson and Sanchez. Texas would also get the leadoff man on base with a single from Mazara off Jace Fry. Delino Deshields pinch ran for Mazara, and after back-to-back strikeouts, was picked off by Fry and tagged by Abreu stuck in no man’s land ending the inning.
With one out in the ninth, Cordell hit a deep fly to left field on a hanging cutter from Chris Martin. Just like Moncada’s drive in the seventh, Cordell’s liner hit the wall, and he had to settle for double. Tilson hit a soft chopper down the third base line which he beat out for an infield single, but Cordell didn’t advance to third. Didn’t matter in the end as Moncada whiffed on a high 97-mph fastball for the second out, and Abreu on a 98-mph heater popped out to shallow center field ending the inning.
With two left-handed bats coming to the plate for Texas, Fry started the ninth inning and striking out both Odor and Ronald Guzman. Renteria called for Kelvin Herrera to face Tim Federowicz hoping for another out and force extra innings. Hitting 99-mph multiple times in the at-bat, Herrera was able to pump a fastball by Federowicz ending the ninth.
Alex Colome took over duties in the bottom of the tenth with a one-run lead and aiming for his 16th saves in 2019. It didn’t start well as Colome couldn’t get Choo out as he walked him. Santana, who tied the game in the eighth, flew out to center field for the first out. The game ended when Andrus hit a grounder straight at Anderson to start the 6-4-3 double play.
Game Notes:
- Colome is now 16-for-16 in save opportunities.
- Since coming off the IL, Jace Fry has struck out five of the six batters he’s faced.
- White Sox are now 8-8 in the month of June.
Record: 36-37 | Box Score | Highlights
No reason to give Yonder any more at bats. At his worst I’m hoping that Collins could be a Justin Smoak like hitter for us.
McCann – I want to stuff the ballot box for him for so many reasons, one of which is because I dislike this new voting method so much, ergo I want to break it. Who’s with me? C’mon people, nobody can stuff ballot boxes like us Chicagoans!
I doubt this is a possibility, but what more would Evan Marshall need to do to be an all-star? He’s a little light on IP compared to his peers (he’s at 17.1; many elite RP are high 20s or more), but of RP with at least 10 IP he is the only one in the MLB with a 0.00 ERA. Even if he’s gotten a little lucky, that’s impressive.
Im sure he won’t get picked, but if his usage picks up in the coming weeks and he’s used in more and more high leverage situations, he’ll have an interesting resume.
Zack Collins’s slash line after 6 MLB plate appearances: .200/.333/.800.
That’s probably what it’s inevitably gonna look like, except with possibly a slightly higher average and lower slugging.
This was a satisfying and exciting win
If Herrera and Fry are both back, this is a pretty deep bullpen.
If they’re back to form (and I’m more inclined to believe Herrera is because Fry’s only been back in form for 1 appearance), all the more reason why they should go with an opener for their 5th starter until they’re finally ready to call Cease up.
Where’s everybody telling us how stupid Renteria is for bunting?
A tie game, late inning situation with a decent bunter at the plate is not the same as some other situations he’s bunted in.
Thanks. I knew somebody would drop by to tell me how stupid RR is.