White Sox 4, Red Sox 1: Luis Robert’s rules of order

4:33 PM CDT on June 25, 2023

The White Sox have one guy in their lineup that teams can't let beat them.

The Red Sox let Luis Robert Jr. beat them.

Robert homered twice this afternoon. The first was a high fly right of center for a rare two-run shot that put the White Sox ahead in the fourth, and the second was a sizzler that entered the seats behind the White Sox bullpen with some heat in the sixth.

Pair it with a terrific tandem job by Tanner Banks and (especially) Jesse Scholtens, and the White Sox ended up cruising to a surprisingly comfortable win, as well as a welcome series victory after losing their four previous rubber matches.

In a world where you can remove one player's contributions and everything else remains the same, the Red Sox would've kept the White Sox in check. Robert had three of the White Sox's seven hits and factored into three of their four runs. The exception in the latter column was an Andrew Benintendi double to the right-field corner that scored Gavin Sheets of all people all the way from first, although it was assisted by some brain lock by Triston Casas after receiving the throw from the outfield.

But the White Sox pitching staff, once again patching something together in the spot that previously belonged to Mike Clevinger, held the Red Sox down without taking anything or anybody off the board.

Banks had to battle, especially after a 14-pitch 1-2-3 first. He stranded the bases loaded in the second, but when he walked back-to-back batters with one out in the third, the Red Sox didn't let him entirely off the hook. Adam Duvall doubled home Justin Turner for the game's first run, and although Banks was able to keep the trailing runner at third base on a too-shallow fly by Masataka Yoshida for the second out, Pedro Grifol went to Scholtens to finish the third.

Scholtens did just that, surviving a windblown fly ball that nearly outdrifted Benintendi in left to put the game on steadier ground. He retired the first six batters he faced and got the game through six in a businesslike fashion. The contact started growing in volume in the seventh, starting with Robert running down an Enrique Hernandez liner for the first out, and ending with Scholtens giving up a single for the second time in three batters.

With Banks and Scholtens throwing 6⅔ between them, Grifol shifted to regular bullpen strategy, and his relievers made it pay off. Aaron Bummer actually retired a lefty, getting Rafael Devers to fly out. He then pitched a clean eighth, and Keynan Middleton handled alternate closer duties without issue for his second save of the season. Scholtens recorded his first-career win after two tough-luck losses.

Bullet points:

*Bummer literally saved face when he gloved Duvall's 97.1 mph line drive right back at him. Seby Zavala almost fell over from cringing.

*Zavala was catching because Yasmani Grandal took a foul tip on the chin, and left the game with a jaw contusion.

*Zack Remillard played second after a couple games of trying Tim Anderson there. He grounded into a double play and was picked off/caught stealing to end the seventh, but it was still probably a net positive.

*Robert now has 21 homers, giving him at least 20 homers and 20 doubles before the All-Star break.