White Sox put up valiant effort against Tampa Bay Rays

CHICAGO, IL - APRIL 10: Jose Abreu #79 of the Chicago White Sox is greeted by Leury Garcia #28 after hitting a three-run homer against the Tampa Bay Rays during the ninth inning on April 10, 2018 at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago, Illinois. The Rays won 6-5. (Photo by David Banks/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - APRIL 10: Jose Abreu #79 of the Chicago White Sox is greeted by Leury Garcia #28 after hitting a three-run homer against the Tampa Bay Rays during the ninth inning on April 10, 2018 at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago, Illinois. The Rays won 6-5. (Photo by David Banks/Getty Images)

The White Sox are ready for a win after losing their fifth consecutive game. It’s time for the streak to end.

Sadly, White Sox pitcher Carson Fulmer did not do much to help the team get a much-needed win.

But, the team attempted a valiant rally in the ninth inning to overcome a 6-1 deficit. Unfortunately, the team could not get the last run to go into extra innings and expose the Rays bullpen.

The final line for Fulmer

Fulmer’s final line was less than stellar. He pitched 4.2 innings and gave up five hits and three earned runs. A fourth run was earned while he was on the mound, but it was not credited to him. After Tuesday’s game, Fulmer is the second best starting pitcher in the rotation with his ERA of 5.59. Only Reynaldo Lopez has a better ERA – a noticeably better ERA of 0.69. Everyone else is over five and two of the starters are over six.

If the pitching continues like this, it will be tough for the Sox to get wins. Tuesday marked the tenth game of the season and all five starters now have two starts each.

Tough pitching from the Rays

The Rays are known for their tough starting pitching and Blake Snell was no exception. He went six innings and gave up one hit and one run. He fanned ten Sox. But, once he left the mound, the Sox went to work, especially in the ninth. Interestingly, Snell and Fulmer combined to walk 11 batters in the game – a number that is practically unheard of in today’s game.

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Highlights in the ninth

The highlight of the game was the ninth inning. In the top of the ninth, the Rays scored one more run to bring the score to 6-1. But, the bottom belonged to the Sox. Tim Anderson got the offense started with a lead-off double, then stole third base. Yolmer Sanchez got Anderson home on a sac fly.

Then, Leury Garcia and Yoan Moncada reached so that Jose Abreu could do what he does and hit them in on a home run. It was a majestic bomb to center field that brought the score within one run. The projected distance was 408 feet.It’s always nice to see Abreu take care of his team. He even hit the ball off the end of the bat – imagine what it would have done if he hit it on the sweet spot.

The Sox got close as Matt Davidson followed Abreu with a walk. Sadly, Omar Narvaez could not convert as he had the final out of the game on a line out.

Next: The White Sox prospects to know

Despite the loss, the White Sox had some positives along with the increased offense in the ninth. Aaron Bummer recorded the final two outs for the Rays with two quick strikeouts to Denard Span and Joey Wendel. Bummer had the best line of the day and has a respectable 2.70 ERA.

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