Jose Abreu’s grand slam sends White Sox to win
Apr 18, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Chicago White Sox designated hitter Jose Abreu (79) receives congratulations from catcher Tyler Flowers (21) after he hits a grand slam home run in the fourth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Jose Abreu and the Chicago White Sox made it fun to be a fan of the team from the South Side on Saturday, with the reigning AL Rookie of the Year and his teammates putting a beatdown on the Detroit Tigers, 12-3.
It wasn’t the 17 hits or the 12 runs that made the win so much fun to watch on Saturday afternoon … OK, that did help, but it was the way the White Sox played the game and showed the offensive potential this club has if they can be consistent at the plate.
The fun really began for the the White Sox in the third inning when Adam LaRoche hit a three-run home run to put the Good Guys ahead 4-1, as the White Sox saw Adam Eaton score a run off a double by Melky Cabrera earlier in the inning.
That four-run third inning was just the start for the White Sox, because they really broke loose in the fourth inning with seven more runs, including a grand slam by Abreu.
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Chicago sent 11 batters to the plate in the fourth inning, where the White Sox totaled three extra-base hits and a total of seven hits in the inning, showing right there just how good they can be and how much havoc they can cause if they are consistent at the plate.
Abreu’s grand slam came off Anibal Sanchez with one out, scoring Tyler Flowers, Micah Johnson and Melky Cabrera, who doubled, walked and doubled to reach the bases.
In all, the third and fourth innings saw the White Sox score 11 of their 12 runs.
For the day, Abreu finished 3-for-6 with two runs and four RBIs. LaRoche was 3-for-5 with two runs and two RBIs, and Cabrera led the White Sox with a 4-for-5 day at the plate with two runs and two RBIs.
Earlier this week, I wrote about how the White Sox first four batters were 1-for-16 in a game on Wednesday against the Cleveland Indians and how they needed to improve their overall play.
Saturday showed what they are capable of doing with Adam Eaton, Cabrera, Abreu and LaRoche finishing the day 10-for-20, though Eaton didn’t have a hit in the game. The White Sox centerfielder did draw a walk and score a run, with that walk in the third inning beginning a nice momentum swing in the favor of the White Sox.
Sunday will be very exciting to see if the White Sox will be capable of keeping part of the momentum and plate presence they built on Saturday. I believe they can, but they must prove it by showing that consistency day-in and day-out.
The White Sox have the talent to do so, but it will be interesting to see what occurs in the third game of this series at Comerica Park in Detroit Sunday afternoon.