The White Sox bullpen figured out how to nurse a one-run lead across the finish line after five innings from the starter.
Of course, the game being only seven innings long helped simplify matters. Dallas Keuchel lasted long enough to get the game to Aaron Bummer and Liam Hendriks, who threw a scoreless inning apiece to take the front end of the doubleheader at Fenway Park.
The White Sox offense came through with the necessary amount of runs on three swings, including one on the very first of the game. Tim Anderson greeted Tanner Houck by lining the first-pitch fastball into the Red Sox bullpen for a 1-0 lead, so the White Sox literally led throughout the entire game.
The two others kept the White Sox ahead. In the fourth, Yasmani Grandal's first-pitch high fly to left center doinked off the Green Monster and scored José Abreu from first. Were it a different park or a different total of outs, Abreu probably ends up at third at best, but he was off on contact with two outs and scored easily.
An inning later, the White Sox had runners on the corners with one out after a leadoff single by Jake Lamb, and a hot shot by Anderson that deflected off Houck through the vacated right side. Adam Eaton struck out against Josh Taylor, the lefty summoned by Alex Cora to retire him. The move also flipped Yoán Moncada around to his weak side, but Moncada stood firm and lined a single into right center for the decisive run.
Keuchel threw his best game of the year, with his innings count limited more by the circumstances than his performance. He gave up two runs over five innings, but both were fluky. In the fourth, he made a great pitch on Hunter Renfroe with runners on the corners and two outs, but Renfroe's chopper ended up with some nasty english, taking a sharp right turn on a charging Moncada as he tried to make a barehanded pick and throw across the diamond.
The spinner also escaped Anderson's backup attempt, resulting in runners on first and third. Perhaps in an acknowledgment of Keuchel's misfortune, Renfroe made it easier on him by getting picked off first to end the inning, with Abreu and Leury García teaming up for a one-throw rundown.
Keuchel also opened the sixth by getting an innocuous-looking fly off the bat of Enrique Hernandez, but Hernandez shaped it around the Pesky Pole in right field for a solo shot that narrowed the game to 3-2. With an exit velocity of just 96.6 mph and a launch angle of 40 degrees, Statcast said it only had an expected batting average of .070.
That's been the White Sox's luck so far this series, but bad breaks didn't define them this time. Although Aaron Bummer came in and promptly gave up a leadoff single to Alex Verdugo, Moncada made a slick pick on J.D. Martinez's grounder to start a 5-4-3 double play, and Bummer struck out Xander Bogaerts to end it. Moncada started two around-the-horners, coming up big defensively after a shaky start.
Hendriks then entered and pitch around a two-out single for his first traditional save in a White Sox uniform. He now has two on the year, but the Sox extended the ninth-inning lead to six runs after he recorded the final out of the eighth. You may quibble on a seventh-inning save being traditional, but you know what I mean.
Bullet points:
*Lamb made the start in left field and recorded his first hit with the White Sox. García replaced him defensively in left field, with Danny Mendick taking over at second.
*Anderson delivered three hits from the leadoff spot.
*Michael Kopech will start the second game.
