Michael Kopech deals in Chicago White Sox series winner

The Chicago White Sox have bounced back nicely from their disaster of an Opening Day. Their 10-1 win over the Detroit Tigers was a great way to take two out of three games from them. They got a little bit of everything that they need to secure victory and get above .500 for the first time in 2022. Michael Kopech made the start and was sensational on the mound.

Kopech made his first start as a full-time member of the rotation for the first time since 2018. He worked out of the bullpen in 2021 and was great but it is time for him to take that step into a starter’s role. His first start was great.

He went 4.0 innings where he only allowed one run on two hits. He had three strikeouts as well as he eases into this starter’s role. When he is fully off the leash, seven innings with 10 strikeouts is something that he should be able to do with arm talent like that.

Of the 69 pitches that he threw, 41 of them were strikes. We know about his pitch mix that is very hard to hit but he needs to control it with this type of consistency. He will certainly be on an innings limit this regular season because of his past but he is on an amazing path to greatness.

 Michael Kopech was very good in his four inning performance on Sunday.

When Kopech came out after the fourth, it was easy to be uneasy about the bullpen but they did have a five-run lead at the time. Kyle Crick, Matt Foster, Kendall Graveman, and Tanner Banks all came in and locked down the win. It wasn’t too hard as the lead continued to increase all game long.

How did it continue to increase? Well, the answer is easy. Every player in the White Sox batting order had a hit except for Reese McGuire but he had a run scored. He also played magnificent defense which is really all that he needs to focus on anyway.

It was Tim Anderson’s return to the lineup and season debut after a suspension kept him out of the first two games. He greeted everyone with three hits and two runs scored. He sets the tone as well as anyone in Chicago’s lineup every single game.

Luis Robert, Jose Abreu, and Eloy Jimenez each had outstanding games as well at the plate but Andrew Vaughn is the one who deserves extra credit. He hit another home run and had four RBIs in the game. It has been an enchanted start for him and it is clear that he will be a star.

Kopech dealt, the bullpen did their job, and the offense scored ten runs. Baseball won’t be that easy every game but they showed exactly what they can do when everyone contributes to the best of their ability.