With one swing of the bat, Luis Robert Jr. turned a two-run deficit into a one-run lead with three innings to play.
Alas, the White Sox needed another swing of Robert's bat to at least tie the game after Joe Kelly gave up a go-ahead homer to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the eighth inning. He popped out instead, Eloy Jiménez couldn't pick him up, and that's how the Sox lost the opening game for a seventh straight series.
Robert came to the plate after Tim Anderson turned on the jets with one out in the top of the eighth. George Springer dropped Anderson's slicing line drive in fair territory, and while Anderson initially expected it to be caught, he had enough momentum to easily find his second and third gears for the triple he and the Sox sorely needed.
Robert came to the plate, and while I expected Erik Swanson to throw him nothing but chase pitches with two bases open, he hung a couple of splitters. Robert fouled back the first one, and then he popped up the second one to first base for the second out. Eloy Jiménez also got a hittable splitter with two strikes, but he flied out to left to end the threat.
Robert comes away from the game with a blemish when he should've been the hero.
Chris Bassitt had stuck it to the White Sox for six innings, something he relishes doing to his former team. But Andrew Benintendi and Anderson were able to mount a threat with a pair of one-out singles in the seventh to bring Robert to the plate. He took a sinker for strike one, and when Bassitt tried a sweeper, it was either too high or too centered. It split the zone at the knees, and Robert rocked it 450 feet out to left field for a three-run homer and a 3-2 lead. (Robert also rocked in place in the batter's box staring at his hands before beginning his trot, which was new.)
The White Sox bullpen was then tasked with carrying that lead to the finish. Reynaldo López made it through a scoreless seventh despite allowing a hit, a walk, a wild pitch and two stolen bases, thanks to a well-placed lineout to short and a groundout to first to strand both runners.
Kelly didn't have such luck. He came out missing mostly high and/or armside to Brandon Belt for a leadoff walk, then came out missing high to Guerrero. Kelly threw a 2-0 slider at the top of the zone for a strike, but when he followed up with the exact same pitch, Guerrero flicked it over the right-field wall for the game-tying and game-winning runs.
Lucas Giolito came away with the no-decision despite six strong innings. He only wobbled in the third, when he loaded the bases with a walk, single and walk with one out. He struck out Daulton Varsho, but his first-pitch slider to Whit Merrifield ended up bouncing down the left-field line for a two-run double and a 2-0 lead.
Giolito only allowed two other hits -- both singles -- over his other five innings. He didn't have overwhelming stuff, but his fastballs mostly stayed up, and he didn't cave in during deep counts. It should've been enough for a win, but leaving with the lead feels like a victory enough with this offense.
Bullet points:
*Jordan Romano struck out Andrew Vaughn, Oscar Colás and Jake Burger on 13 pitches in the ninth for the save. Ten were strikes, and eight were whiffs.
*Colás went 1-for-4 in his return to the majors, with the hit a perfect bunt single. He was also caught stealing after reaching on a fielder's choice.
*The White Sox only had three at-bats with runners in scoring position. Robert went 1-for-2 by himself.
*According to Josh, Robert's homer set off fireworks during his part in the vow exchange. Congratulations to the newlyweds!
