I wasn't counting on going to Target Field tonight, but the plane, train and pace of game all aligned to allow Josh to transfer a ticket to me, and I got into the park by the bottom of the sixth. I saw Joe Kelly pitch a 1-2-3 innings as the first reliever supporting Michael Kopech, then Adam Engel -- who replaced Luis Robert in the second due to lightheadedness -- hit a three-run homer off Griffin Jax in the seventh that effectively put the game away.
As for what I missed here's a bullet-point recap. As always, let me know of any details that demand accounting.
*Michael Kopech picked up the win with a shaky five innings. His velocity returned, but his command abandoned him. He issued four walks on top of five hits over five innings while striking out two, but limited the damage to two first-inning runs.
*Kopech only got three swinging strikes on 90 pitches, so seeing his fastball back to averaging 95.5 mph only goes so far.
*Those first-inning runs negated what the Sox did against Devin Smeltzer, as Andrew Vaughn chopped a single through the left side with the bases loaded that scored two.
*Robert broke poorly on two fly balls in the first inning before departing the game, turning a single in front of him into a double by letting the hop get past him, then starting in on a ball that he had to backtrack for. Fortunately, he made that catch to strand two.
*Tim Anderson put the White Sox ahead with his first homer since May 22, pounding a hanging first-pitch splitter from Emilio Pagan out to the deepest part of the park for a solo shot and a 3-2 lead in the fourth.
*Anderson also made a sensational leaping grab to steal a single from Max Kepler in the fifth inning.
*Reese McGuire almost hit his first White Sox homer, but had to settle for a double high off the right-field wall.
*Engel's homer off Griffin Jax was made possible by Luis Arraez, who booted an Anderson grounder at him with one out. Yoán Moncada followed with walk before Engel left the yard on a 3-2 pitch.
*Anderson mishandled a hop during Kendall Graveman's eighth inning, but the official scorer ruled neither an error. The only one on the books was the hop that got past Robert in the first inning.
*We'll see you at the party tomorrow. Get your last-minute tickets here.
