I got pulled away from this game when the White Sox trailed 10-3, and given the way that it started, I didn't feel an urge to get back into it.
But still, imagine my surprise when I got the final score notification and saw that it was 21-5. I'm not going to back and watch the whole thing, but here's the...
Bullet point recap:
*Lucas Giolito got a couple of strikeouts in the first inning, but Trey Mancini took him out the opposite way for a solo shot in the second inning, and it slid downhill from there.
*Alex Bregman struck the biggest blow, taking a 91-mph fastball to the right-center gap for a two-run double in the third inning when Giolito was one out away from getting through three innings trailing only 1-0. A scalded liner by Kyle Tucker glanced off the glove of a leaping Romy Gonzalez to make it 4-0 before Giolito could finally escape.
*Giolito couldn't record an out in the fourth. His ERA is now 5.34 after this ugly line: 3 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 1 HR.
*Bregman added two homers off Vince Velasquez and ultimately drove in six on the afternoon.
*The Astros swatted four homers and five doubles among their 25 hits. They went 14-for-19 with runners in scoring position.
*The White Sox last allowed 20 runs in that memorable 20-1 loss to the Twins back on May 21, 2009. They last allowed 25 hits on Aug. 31, 1974.
*The best part of this game was that Velasquez and José Ruiz covered five innings, even if they combined to allow 10 runs between them.
*Josh Harrison handled the final inning, and while he recorded a strikeout, he also gave up four runs. Perhaps two of them shouldn't have scored because an unsuccessful diving catch by Gavin Sheets is probably a catch standing for most other guys.
*The White Sox offense spent most of the time in between on Luis Garcia, unable to capitalize on what mistakes Garcia made with his curve, while behind on the fastballs that could've otherwise been hittable. They made him throw 97 pitches over five innings, but they stranded 12 on the basepaths.
*Yoán Moncada was the exception. He dropped the barrel on 95 at the knees for a three-run shot off Garcia.
*The Sox could only score runs on outs the rest of the way. One run crossed on Andrew Vaughn's second double play of the game, and another one on a González sac fly.
*AJ Pollock overran a ball he charged for an error, but he robbed José Altuve of extra bases, and maybe a homer, with a leaping catch at the center field wall He also tried to take out Altuve with a clean, hard slide into second base, so you can't question the effort.
*Despite all of this, the White Sox finished the season series with the Astros a respectable 3-4, albeit with a -18 run differential.
