The first half of Tuesday’s doubleheader was a disaster for the Chicago White Sox. Everyone was just given a diagnosis of Tim Anderson’s tough injury and then they went out and lost to a very bad Kansas City Royals team that was just a big-time seller at the trade deadline.
Calling the second game of the day a must-win would sound like an exaggeration but it very well might have been just that (or close). Well, they were able to pull it off and get the big win over the Royals by a final score of 3-2. The doubleheader was salvaged.
For some reason, the White Sox are very bad in series-opening games. That remained true in this series but they got it done in the second game of the doubleheader. It was a tight finish but they ultimately prevailed.
Davis Martin made another spot start for the White Sox after being called up from AAA. He went 5.2 innings of strong baseball where he only yielded one run on three hits. He struck out three batters and only walked one. It was a spectacular game for him all around.
The Chicago White Sox offense did what it needed to support their pitching.
Lenyn Sosa was back in the White Sox lineup for the second game and he hit his first career home run. It was a solo shot that gave the White Sox a 1-0 lead. He should be playing more and this game helped prove it.
He went 2-4 with an RBI and a run scored as well. He would have had a third hit if Nate Eaton didn’t rob him later in the game. The White Sox can only hope that he continues to make it hard to bench him. With Tim Anderson injured for a while, Sosa’s good play is much needed.
Yoan Moncada and Gavin Sheets each added an RBI as well. Moncada gave the White Sox a 2-1 lead when it was tied at one by hitting a big home run. Sheets created the insurance run by hitting a double that scored a pinch-hitting Luis Robert from first base.
Robert pinch hit for Eloy Jimenez who also had a spectacular game with three hits. He has been the best hitter on the team lately which is a great sign. If he continues to hit like this while staying healthy, the White Sox will certainly win a lot more.
The White Sox continues to inch closer to being in first place in the AL Central Division. They need to keep winning these games against these bad teams before the schedule gets tough again. Winning this second game was a huge step.