White Sox 8, Rangers 3: Lance Lynn? Don’t mind if they do

White Sox win

Lance Lynn is one of the pitchers standing in between Lucas Giolito and higher Cy Young consideration.

Tonight, the White Sox did what they could to clear a path for their boy.

They struck out 10 times against Lynn, but they struck back for 11 hits and seven runs, the last two of which scored on Yoan Moncada’s second homer in as many nights. The White Sox have now won three in a row and four out of five, and Dylan Cease picked up his first win against a team that isn’t from Detroit.

This one could have been a rout in the other direction, as Cease, who often needs a slap in the face before his fight-or-flight mechanism kicks in, fell behind 3-0 after four batters on a walk, single and Willie Calhoun three-run homer.

But those were the only runs the Rangers scored all night, while the Sox offense eventually unloaded a steadier supply with a lot of two-out magic.

Second inning: Matt Skole and Yolmer Sánchez, the White Sox’ seventh and eighth hitters, managed to draw two-out walks before No. 9 hitter Adam Engel roped a plate-splitting cutter into the left-field corner to score both.

Fourth inning: Sánchez drove in Jon Jay with a single to tie the game at 3 and took second on the throw home. Engel struck out this time for the second out. Leury García picked him up by rifling a double to right field before scoring on a lucky single by Tim Anderson.

Sixth inning: With García on second and two outs, Jose Abreu smoked a double over the head of Delino DeShields to chase Lynn from the game. Lynn’s line didn’t close until a batter later, when Moncada roped a Shawn Kelley slider into the Goose Island for the game’s final runs.

Lynn’s ERA rose from 3.60 to 3.85, even though his FIP will probably go in the other direction:

As for Cease, he ended up striking out the side in the first around the homer en route to a career-high nine. He mainly accomplished it with his fastball, getting nine of his 13 swinging strikes with the heat. James McCann stopped calling curveballs, which helped Cease get into better counts, and the slider, while not a wipeout pitch, turned into a lot of usable strikes as well.

He only ran into additional trouble in the fifth, as his run of retiring 11 consecutive batters ended with a pair of singles to open the inning. Fortunately, batless catcher Jeff Mathis came to the plate and couldn’t get a bunt down before striking out, and a couple of deepish but harmless flyouts ended the threat.

Bullet points:

*Tim Anderson made one helluva throw from deep in the hole.

*The teams wore their Players Weekend jerseys, and the White Sox are one of the few teams around baseball that actually look OK in theirs, since it’s not a dramatic departure from their often-worn alternate jerseys. The all-white Rangers looked like ice cream men, painters or caddies at Augusta.

Record: 59-69 | Box score | Highlights

Author

  • Jim Margalus

    Writing about the White Sox for a 16th season, first here, then at South Side Sox, and now here again. Let’s talk curling.

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Trooper Galactus

Skole scored from first on a double? Even going on contact, I’m surprised he had the speed to pull that off.

jose robcada

i actually really like those jerseys
the pants not so much tho, on some players they looked like black jeans

also nice to see we are back on track now that the lineup is healthy again… kinda makes me think maybe earlier in the year when we were playing competetive baseball for a while wasnt a fluke

Maybe Cease needs a literal slap in the face before the game like Trevor Bauer and the Driveline guys.

digger0910

This reminded me of that SNL “People Punched in the Face Just Before Eating” sketch. So I watched it, and now my day is already made. 

https://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/snl-digital-short-andy-punches/n12168

Of course Jerry won’t pony up the dough and hire an ex-CIA waterboarding specialist to get Cease’s blood flowing pre-game. Cheapskate ownership smh

lil jimmy

” one helluva throw from deep in the hole.”

The announcing crew said he practiced that throw pre game every day. Post game, Timmy said the same thing. That’s what happens when preparation and hard work meets opportunity.

ParisSox

Like Michael and Tiger practicing their most difficult shots over and over again. 

ImmortalTimeTravelMan

Yoan actually looks comfortable in that 4th spot. Imagine what a 1-4 order of Madrigal, Robert, Jimenez/Abreu or (eventually) Vaughn, and Moncada could do.

roke1960

It will be very interesting to see how the top of the lineup shakes out, even next year. If Timmy is really a .300 hitter, should he stay in the 2nd spot? I’m almost thinking a top 4 of Robert, Timmy, Moncada, Eloy with Madrigal hitting 9th might be best. Then, of course, if Vaughn pans out where does he slot? What a great problem to have!!

Marty34

I think it would be interesting to see Madrigal bat behind Collins. Hit & Run every pitch.

texag10

So from the Rangers broadcast down here in Texas: Last night was Lynn’s 19th straight game throwing 100+ pitches and I believe he passed Trevor Bauer for most batters faced third time through the order this year. Find both of those interesting if somewhat useless facts. Enjoy.