White Sox: Put up a good fight against the Houston Astros
On Thursday, the White Sox put up a good fight against the reigning World Series champions in Houston but ultimately lost 4-3.
The White Sox even managed to score a few runs off of Justin Verlander in the late innings. The Sox had the lead in the eighth but lost it when Joakim Soria couldn’t find the strike zone.
Big hits off a tough pitcher
Justin Verlander is currently ranked as the fourth best pitcher in the MLB based on ERA and the best pitcher in the MLB based on WHIP. And, the Sox scored two runs while he was on the mound. That’s a good day for any team.
The two players who scored on Verlander’s watch were Omar Narvaez and Yoan Moncada. Narvaez hit a home run to right field off of a 1-1 pitch to start the sixth inning. Then, with two outs, Moncada singled to right field. Yolmer Sanchez followed that single with a double to left field. It was enough for Moncada to run home. Moncada’s run tied the game at two runs.
Taking the lead
Verlander faced the minimum in the seventh and was replaced by Chris Devenski. The Sox took advantage of the pitching change and in the eighth took the lead. Leury Garcia hit his third home run of the season off of Devenski on the second pitch of the at-bat. It was a bomb to center field.
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This seemed to rattle Devenski, who hit Tim Anderson to give him first base. Then, Anderson stole second with Moncada at the plate. Sadly, Garcia’s run was the only one Devenski and the rest of the bullpen would give up.
Decent outing by Rodon
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Carlos Rodon started the game for the Sox and he performed well against the hard-hitting team. He pitched six innings and gave up two runs. This might not seem like much, but the two runs were scored off of a Jose Altuve home run. Alex Bregman was on base after hitting a double, so the Astros took the 2-0 lead in the fifth inning.
Other than that home run, Rodon had a good day. His final line included the two earned runs, five hits, six walks, and six strikeouts. He only gave up one home run. The six strikeouts were nice to see, but he’s got to get those walks down. For comparison, Verlander did not walk any Sox and he struck out 10.
Sadly, Rodon could not the support he needed from Soria in the ninth. But the relievers, in between got the goose eggs they needed. Juan Minaya, Xavier Cedeno, and Bruce Rondon did not give up any runs. Cedeno and Rondon did what they were supposed to do in situational pitching and each recorded a strikeout. Cedeno has a 0.75 ERA in 12 innings of relief work.
Next: Why the Sox should keep Avisail Garcia
The Sox get another crack at the Astros Friday night at 7:10. Reynaldo Lopez faces off against Lance McCullers, Jr. The pair has very different win-loss records, but their ERAs are close. Lopez has 3.68 and McCullers has a 3.55.