The Chicago White Sox and Texas Rangers are on opposite ends of the baseball spectrum right now. Chicago is a World Series contender and Texas is one of the worst teams in the American League. Just because a team in Major League Baseball is bad, however, doesn’t mean they are easy wins. Texas proved that they are a tough team to beat on certain nights.
On Saturday, the Rangers took the White Sox down by a final score of 2-1. That put them in a position to lose the series to a team they are significantly more talented than. Luckily, the White Sox were able to win on Sunday by a final score of 7-2.
Yasmani Grandal hit a solo shot in the fourth inning. That led to a five-run fourth inning over Texas which was just what the White Sox needed. There are games where their offense goes dry but there are more games like this where they impose their will on the opponent’s pitching staff.
Lucas Giolito had a very good start for the White Sox. He went 5.1 innings with one run against. He had four strikeouts and only one walk in the game. He is getting ready for the playoffs as the season winds down and this was a great step. Aaron Bummer, Michael Kopech, and Mike Wright Jr. locked things down to end the game in the bullpen.
The Chicago White Sox needed to take the series over the Texas Rangers on Sunday.
Yasmani Grandal’s big game was just what the White Sox needed. He had a walk in the game as well. He is as dialed in as any hitter the White Sox have ever had over any period of time. If he is able to keep this up, the White Sox should have a lot of success in the playoffs.
Jose Abreu was also impressive in this game. He had two hits and two RBIs. Those two runs batted in put him in a tie with Salvador Perez for the league lead. If he ends up leading the league, it will be the third year in a row. All of these different guys contributing to wins has to make fans feel good. It feels like it is someone new every week.
The Cleveland Indians actually had a very impressive weekend against the New York Yankees who are battling hard for a playoff spot in the American League Wild Card. Because of that, the magic number only dropped to four this weekend. They have a very good chance of clinching the American League Central during the week in Detroit. When that happens, it is going to be a great thing for this franchise.