White Sox 4, Royals 2: Lance Lynn stops skid

White Sox win

A win’s a win when the White Sox have lost five straight and have six games of ground to make up with 32 games remaining. It’s especially winsome when it’s paired with losses from the two teams they’re trailing.

Lance Lynn pitched seven strong innings, buying time for the White Sox offense to finally produce against a pair of struggling lefties who would’ve been red meat in the more fearsome days. Elvis Andrus homered to tie the game in the fourth inning, AJ Pollock homered in the fifth to put the Sox ahead, and they gracelessly grunted out a pair of runs from a bases-loaded-nobody-out situation to put the game away.

You’d like to see them do more, but everybody had grown accustomed to them doing less, so it’s easy to settle for enough.

Lynn earned the game’s first star, holding the Royals to four hits and an HBP over seven innings. He struck out eight, yet needed just 91 pitches to leave the last two innings in the hands of the Sox’s two most proven relievers.

The start almost went off the rails in the third. After he retired the Royals in order the first three innings, Bobby Witt Jr. broke up the perfect game bid with a no-doubt solo shot for the game’s first run. Nick Pratto and Michael A. Taylor followed with line-drive singles that put runners on the corners, and Lynn then loaded the bases by plunking Michael Massey.

Up came Hunter Dozier, who went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. In the one at-bat that didn’t end in a K, he grounded into a 5-4-3 double play to prevent further damage. Over his last three innings, Lynn only allowed a two-out single to Nicky Lopez.

During that time, the Sox offense woke up. It botched a bases-loaded situation in the first inning when AJ Pollock popped into the infield fly rule and Yasmani Grandal (back from the IL) lined out. They did nothing with a leadoff walk in the third inning, and Andrew Vaughn was gunned down trying to stretch a single into a double in the fourth.

Pollock atoned for his first-inning pop-up by giving the Sox the kind of cheap opposite-field homer they’d lacked all season. It sounded less than solid off the bat, and he didn’t even reach triple-digit exit velocity, but it carried over the right-field wall nevertheless, tying the game.

An inning later, Andrus left far less doubt. When Bubic threw a 1-1 fastball that leaked on the inner half of the plate, Andrus uncoiled and launched the ball 105 mph out to left, some 430 feet away, for a lead the Sox wouldn’t relinquish.

Andrus added the first of two insurance runs in the seventh, although it probably should’ve been a fielder’s choice at home. With the bases loaded and nobody out, Andrus hit a hot smash right at a drawn-in Michael Massey, but his first instinct was to second base, which a drawn-in infield is not designed to do. By the time he regrouped and tried to throw home, he didn’t have a shot at getting Gavin Sheets, and he had to settle for the out at first.

Nicky Lopez didn’t make the same mistake on Andrew Vaughn’s grounder, getting the out at home on an ill-fated contact play. It took José Abreu to get the ball in the air, and even thoguh he threw his bat at a slider well off the plate, he still managed to poke it into shallow center field for a sorely needed RBI single.

The insurance was welcome, because Liam Hendriks wasn’t fooling anybody. He gave up batted balls of 100.8, 93.8, 99.2 and 99.5 mph. The first two turned into outs, but Michael A. Taylor tripled and scored on a Massey single to bring the tying run to the plate. Fortunately, that tying run was Dozier, and he was saddled with his third and final strikeout of the game.

Bullet points:

*Romy González had a nice night, delivering a pair of singles (one a bunt) from the ninth spot, making a quick turn on that crucial 5-4-3 double play in the fourth, and capping it off with a leaping catch on what looked like a Kansas City Special in the eighth. The lone blemish was a CS in front of Andrus’ homer.

*Grandal caught in his first game back from the IL, going 0-for-2 with two walks.

*Lynn induced 17 swinging strikes on 91 pitches, and the curveball once again proved especially useful, getting whiffs on five of six swings.

*The White Sox now trail the Guardians and Twins by five and 1½ games, respectively.

Record: 64-66 | Box score | Statcast

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39 Comments
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Yolmer

I’m a hopeless optimist, so I’d point out that a 2016 White Sox April-early May probably wins the division. If they go 24-8, they’ll finish with 88 wins.

Last edited 1 year ago by Yolmer's gatorade
a-t

Who’s gonna be James Shields in this scenario?

As Cirensica

Lucas fits the bill.

soxygen

18-14 gets the Sox over .500 and then anything can happen

LamarHoyt_oncrack

In a stunning announcement, Joe Biden is stepping down from the office of President of the United States, and will take over the Chicago White Sox managerial duties immediately. Biden vows to “show Tony what sleepy is”.

Wow, that did not take long. I might be alone in saying I like this move.

shaggy65

No doubt Joe was encouraged by his pal Barak to get his priorities in order. And not a moment too soon!

digger0910

Not that it isn’t obvious via your comments that the two of you are dummies, but you also spelled Barack wrong.

ForsterFTOG

Hey look. Two idiots up early for their morning constitutional.

roke1960

“End of quote. Repeat the line.” Google it

calcetinesblancos

If it’s apparently so important to you, can’t you just tell us about it?

As Cirensica

Don’t go there.

roke1960

Just google it.

calcetinesblancos

You want me to do the work for you? You commies never cease to amaze me.

roke1960

You should watch it. It’s actually funny!

roke1960

You have no idea what I’m talking about, and you call me a commie? Wow!!

calcetinesblancos

Lighten up.

roke1960

Have a nice day!

I should introduce you to a few of my grouchy uncles.

As Cirensica

No comments. Move along. Nothing to see here.

hitlesswonder

I could do without people injecting political junk into a baseball site.

calcetinesblancos

It’s been shown that anger is addictive. I honestly don’t think these people can help it.

LamarHoyt_oncrack

Since when is making a light hearted joke equated with anger issues? I dunno, maybe some people need to lighten up a bit.

You first.

LamarHoyt_oncrack

It was a JOKE! There was zero anger in it at all, truly. Was intended to get a laugh, nothing more.

People who joke or can laugh at one are not the ones with anger issues. Those who are super easily offended and complain are. If anybody is angry it is you. I am not.

Are you trying to convince me or you?

mrridgman

We have descended into a society when virtually anything that happens, or is said, offends somebody; and unfortunately, even if only one person is offended, we use time and resources debating the issue and potentially changing some rules.

calcetinesblancos

We’ve also descended into a society with an inability to focus or read the room. The issue is that people come here to talk about the Sox. If I wanted to hear grouchy old men make corny jokes about Biden I’d seek out a different forum, preferably one with beer.

As Cirensica

100% agree

soxygen

Romy has been a nice addition. I hope he is able to get enough at bats down the stretch to really show us what he can do.

calcetinesblancos

I’m a fan of his, especially compared to the other options. He was getting on base and hitting homers in the minors, so it would be nice to see those traits manifest. Especially the power.

jorgefabregas

So far he is hitting the ball much harder than his call-up last year, an has cut his strikeout rate. Unfortunately, he still has the White Sox disease of hammering the ball into the ground.

asinwreck

You’d like to see them do more, but everybody had grown accustomed to them doing less, so it’s easy to settle for enough.

Worth every penny of a Patreon subscription.

Regarding Hendriks, if we are doing offseason plans that cut the payroll, my strategy for competing involves trading him and Graveman. They are both productive enough to potentially bring back valuable performers (perhaps 1-2 lefty hitters who actually hit) and whose absence would reduce the payroll.

A bullpen is volatile even when it is highly compensated. Why not give Reynaldo López more responsibility and see if you can pick up anyone effective off the scrap heap?

I look at the Dodgers, who will need to improve upon Craig Kimbrel. Michael Busch is a promising young hitter who may not have an obvious roster spot in LA. Seems like a deal that could be made.

BenwithVen

I agree, if only because they’re going to have a shade under 50 mil tied into the bullpen next season which is a ridiculous misallocation of resources.

HallofFrank

I’ll also be moving Hendriks in my plan (but holding onto Graveman).

As Cirensica

I think I am trading Hendriks in my OPP, but I am keeping Graveman. Hendriks is in my opinion the easiest way to cut down cost similarly to being the easiest and cheaper way to sign elite free agents.

The Yankees are another team is desperate need of bullpen help.

Last edited 1 year ago by As Cirensica
gibby32

At over 14M/year for two years, Hendriks is unlikely to bring much back. It would be a “lower the payroll” move, not an “improve the roster” move.

As Cirensica

I disagree. Hendrik is still a very good reliever. It’s not than he is expensive, but there aren’t many as him. The White Sox should be able to get a decent haul for Hendriks. At least a top 5 prospect from another organization.

Buehrlesque

The time to trade Hendriks was at the trade deadline last month, when teams are blinded with lust for star closers and would trade an arm and a leg for them down the stretch. I doubt a return would be as substantial this offseason, when cooler heads can prevail.

charlie

Completely agree about getting Hendriks out of here. Too much failure. Fastball get squared up far too often.
Love the idea of Lopee competing for closer role…starting now!