White Sox: Tim Anderson’s Grand Slam Propels Team to Series Victory
White Sox win their first series of the season with a road victory in New York thanks in large part to a grand slam and solid pitching outing.
It took the first two weeks of the season, but the Chicago White Sox finally won a series with their 5-2 victory against the New York Yankees on Sunday afternoon. The win prevented the White Sox from starting another losing streak and was the team’s second consecutive series win at Yankee Stadium.
Carlos Rodon and the Sox trailed early after the first inning but the team was able to come back for good after a grand slam. The White Sox trailed the Yankees 1-0 after the first inning and 2-0 after the third inning. Rodon labored through the first three innings but after the top half of the fourth inning, he was able to coast through his final two innings.
This was in large part due to a lead the Sox gained in the fourth inning. Trailing the Yankees 2-0 and with the bases loaded against Masahiro Tanaka, Tim Anderson hit the first grand slam of his career to put the White Sox ahead for good at 4-2. Anderson would end the game with a .429 batting average. For a player that finished last season hitting .240 but with 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases, the start to 2019 has been great for Anderson.
The grand slam hit by Anderson would be all the run support Rodon needed as he would finish his day with six innings pitched, two earned runs allowed with five strikeouts recorded. Rodon much like Ivan Nova was able to have another quality start on the road for the Sox. This start for Rodon was very important for the team as they needed another quality start after a horrendous stretch of pitching for the Sox.
The bullpen was able to hold the Sox lead after Rodon’s departure following the end of the sixth inning. A day after the bullpen couldn’t keep the game tied due to an untimely error, Jace Fry, Nate Jones, Kelvin Herrera, and Alex Colome combined to pitch three scoreless innings to preserve the lead for the Sox. With the win, the Sox won consecutive series at Yankee Stadium for the first time since the 2002 and 2003 seasons.
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On Monday, the Sox will begin a brief three-game homestand against the Kansas City Royals. Ervin Santana will make his second start for the Sox on Monday night. In his first start, Santana didn’t fare well as he lasted just 3.2 innings against the Tampa Bay Rays.