The Chicago White Sox defeated the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday night by a final score of 5-1. Dylan Cease didn’t have his best stuff but he was good enough to get through five with only one run against (and it was unearned).
The offense has been good for a couple of games now and they kept it going in this one. The starting lineup has had a bit more continuity to it lately and it shows. They are still missing key pieces like Tim Anderson and Eloy Jimenez but those guys will be back really soon.
Leury Garcia and Adam Engel were the only two White Sox hitters to not record a hit. Garcia, however, did manage to have an RBI. The rest of the group carried and there were some huge performances.
AJ Pollock has been incredible lately. He recorded his sixth straight multi-hit game in this one and he came around to score both times. When Tim Anderson is out of the lineup, this is your leadoff hitter. Andrew Vaughn and Luis Robert also had multi-hit games.
In the case of Vaughn, he had an incredible four hits. He raised his batting average over 50 points in the last 18 games or so. It has just been a remarkable run for him at the plate. He is becoming not only one of the White Sox’s best hitters but one of the best hitters in baseball.
The Chicago White Sox offense has been really good over the last week or so.
If the pitching can perform as it has all year long, the offense stepping up like that makes the White Sox look like the team that was advertised before the season began. This is now their sixth game in a row where they scored five runs or more.
When Jimenez and Anderson come back, that will be a huge lift to this group. If Yasmani Grandal (he is also on the IL and will be back soon) and Yoan Moncada return to the form we know they can reach, the White Sox will get back to being that elite team.
Speaking of Moncada, he had one of his biggest moments of the season in the Tuesday night win. With a runner in scoring position, he roped a double down the line and the run scored. It was a big key in the White Sox getting the win over the Tigers.
There is still a lot of work to be done with this team. They are still a couple of games under .500 and have a long way to go before the season is over. If they continue to hit like that and pitch the way that they can, they will get back in the playoff hunt.
Two in a row is a great start. They have a chance to make it three in a row with a sweep over the Tigers on Wednesday afternoon. Getting that done will go a long way for their confidence heading into the weekend series against the Houston Astros.