If you want to feel good about this game, you'll only concern yourself with the top half of the line score.
In that little world, the White Sox scored eight runs, racked up 20 hits and played errorless defense. They took the lead in the 11th, and then again in the 12th.
If you want to expand it, you can look at the White Sox' half of the box score. There you'll see that Anderson raised his average to .336 with a 4-for-6 night, including the go-ahead solo shot in the 11th. You'll also see three more hits for Eloy Jiménez and a pair of homers from the ninth spot, including a two-run blast by Ryan Cordell in the 12th.
The illusion caves in if you look at the pitching half, at least in extras. First, Alex Colomé's painful regression oozed on, resulting in a blown save in the 11th as a leadoff single came around to score on a groundout, wild pitch and sac fly.
When a second save situation arose in the 12th, Rick Renteria turned to Jose Ruiz, and the results were laughable.
- Nelson Cruz single, 107.4 mph
- Eddie Rosario double, 101.7 mph
- Miguel Sano strikeout
- Marwin Gonzalez two-run single, 102.6 mph
- Luis Arraez single, 97,9 mph
- LaMonte Wade Jr. single, 101.5 mph
The game then ended with Ruiz clipping Ronald Torreyes on the forearm to shove home the winning run. The White Sox have now lost four in a row and 16 of their last 21.
Between Ruiz in the 12th and Kelvin Herrera for 1⅔ (good) innings, I assume that Jimmy Cordero had to be unavailable. There were no complaints about the results through four relievers, as Evan Marshall, Aaron Bummer, Herrera and Josh Osich combined for five scoreless innings.
The starters were as advertised. Ross Detwiler and Martin Perez both carried second-half struggles into the game, and both didn't improve their lines much. Detwiler absorbed five-run third, which started with a Ryan LaMarre opposite-field homer and ended with a Miguel Sanó 482-foot baby-maker to the third deck. Credit Detwiler for shaking it off and lasting five with no further damage.
That's better than Pérez fared. He gave up 10 hits over 4⅔ innings, and saw that 5-0 lead erode on his watch He gave up an RBI single to James McCann in the fourth, then a sac fly to Tim Anderson and an RBI single to Jose Abreu in the fifth.
Rocco Baldelli pulled him before he could qualify for the win, but Trevor May made it a moot point anyway. He gave up back-to-back homers on consecutive pitches to ... Zack Collins? ... and ... Adam Engel? ... and both were on 96 mph fastballs up in the zone? I don't get it either, but it definitely happened, and it tied the game.
Bullet points:
*One knock on the offense: The White Sox struck out 14 times to just two walks. Collins drew both of them, and one was intentional.
*Another knock: They put five runners on in the ninth and 10th innings and came away scoreless. Jose Abreu grounded into a double play, and Ryan Goins popped up in a bases-loaded pinch-hitting appearance with one out in the 10th. Then again, with the way Colome's pitching, earlier runs might not have mattered.
*Sergio Romo tried to pick off Yolmer Sanchez more than a dozen times after Sánchez reached on a bunt in the eighth inning. The frame ended with Romo screaming his head off after striking out Engel, and Jason Benetti and Steve Stone spent the rest of the night confused.
*Leury García didn't throw home on the game-tying sac fly in the 11th, then made a weird, sidearmed throw home in the 12th that was fast enough to prevent the send home.
*Adding injury to insult, Dylan Covey was scratched from his start in the finale. Iván Nova will throw an inning instead. But hey, maybe the Sox will be trying the opener by accident?
Record: 65-86 | Box score | Highlights
