The Chicago White Sox are a team trying to squeak into the playoffs after having a tough start to the season. The slump to begin the year lasted a long time but they have been playing much better lately.
The end of the Houston Astros series left a very bad taste in their mouths but they had to forget about it quickly with a trip to play the Cleveland Guardians on the horizon. Unfortunately, they had a massive failure in the first game of this series as they were defeated by a final score of 5-2.
The White Sox got out to a 2-0 lead thanks to a couple of big hits for RBIs by Yoan Moncada and Jose Abreu. From there, their abysmal offense didn’t score again despite a few good opportunities. Once again, they failed to come up big when needed.
Lance Lynn pitched okay as he gave up five hits in 5.2 innings pitched which isn’t horrible. He had six strikeouts and just one walk which was nice as well. The only run he yielded by Lynn was a solo shot by Jose Ramirez in the 6th inning.
The Chicago White Sox had a failure of a game all around on Friday night.
When he left the game, he was in line for the win as they were winning 2-1. Later in the game, Reynaldo Lopez relieved him and allowed three runs over his one inning pitched and took the loss because of it. He has pitched well all season but this game was one where he struggled hard.
Cleveland might just be a better team all around. They get better offensive performances, better pitching, and better managing on a daily basis. They are very young and don’t spend a lot of money but they compete with the best of them on a nightly basis. It is admirable.
Tony La Russa proved once again that he should not be managing this team in the year 2022. He had Yasmani Grandal, who is having a terrible season, as the designated hitter once again. He also intentionally walked another guy who had two strikes on him (1-2 count). It is getting worse and worse.
Hopefully, the White Sox are able to get back to the good feelings in the final two games of this series. Johnny Cueto is having a magnificent year on the mound for the White Sox and he will face Shane Bieber who is one of the best in the league annually.
It is a great matchup that the White Sox can probably say is a must-win. They have to hope that Cueto gives them another quality start and the offense can get some runs scored. It won’t be easy but this is the situation now. Game one was a complete failure by everyone.