White Sox: Moncada hits a grand slam in extra-inning loss to A’s
In the first two games in Oakland, the White Sox struggled to score any runs. This was not the case on Wednesday’s game on the bright side of the Bay.
The White Sox and Oakland A’s went into extra innings with 11 runs each. By the time the teams reached extra innings, their benches and bullpens were nearly exhausted.
The game was back and forth for nine innings until the scored stalled until the bottom of the 14th. By the time it was finished, the A’s won by a score of 12-11. The game lasted 5:48.
Who stood out on offense
While the immense number of runs scored made for a fun game to watch, there were a few players who stood out in the game. All nine of the starting lineup earned a spot on base, but Yoan Moncada had the most notable numbers. The agile second baseman went two for five with three runs, four RBIs, and a walk. One of those runs was a grand slam home run that plated Welington Castillo, Tim Anderson, and Adam Engel.
Moncada also had a day on defense, too. He made a grab in the 10th inning to keep Jed Lowrie off the base paths. His other notable out was the final one of the 9th on what could have been a run-scoring ground ball by Chad Pinder.
This game could serve as a turning point for Moncada, who has had struggles in previous games this season. In Tuesday’s game against the A’s, Moncada moved his batting average up to .200.
Jose Abreu also had a good day in Oakland. He recorded two hits and two runs. One of hits was a double and he walked once. Nicky Delmonico had the most hits of the day, going three for six, but he never crossed home plate.
Crazy day of pitching
More from White Sox News
- The Chicago White Sox might have had a season ending loss
- The Chicago White Sox are expecting Tim Anderson back soon
- Miguel Cairo’s words spark life into the Chicago White Sox
- Dylan Cease should be the favorite for the AL Cy Young Award
- Ozzie Guillen speaks the whole truth about Tony La Russa
With 22 combined runs by the end of the ninth, pitching clearly had issues. Carson Fulmer started the game, pitching into the second but only recording three outs total. He gave up four earned runs and walked two batters. He was replaced by Hector Santiago who went 2.1 innings and gave up one run. Aaron Bummer was disappointing, giving up three runs and only getting one out.
The best (and longest) performance on the mound came from Chris Volstad who went 3.1 innings. He struck out three and gave up one hit. Danny Farquhar and Luis Avilan each recorded an out, but they combined to give up three additional runs.
Nate Jones also did well, pitching 1.1 innings and recording a goose egg with three strikeouts. Joakim Soria kept the game 11-11 while pitching in the bottom of the 10th. Bruce Rondon was the final bullpen pitcher and he was given the 11th.
James Shields came in to pitch in the final inning and in typical Shield’s style he put men on base. He ended up loading the bases and then Matt Olsen earned the final RBI with a walk-off base hit to left field. Sadly, this means that the A’s swept the Sox, but not after a long battle.
Next: 2018 predictions from the Southside Showdown writers
The Sox get the day off on Thursday as they return home to face the Houston Astros for a three-game weekend series that begins on Friday evening.