This was the White Sox's most watchable game of the series, even though it shouldn't have been. Wildness knocked Michael Kopech out in the second inning, Jimmy Lambert left abruptly with an injury, and White Sox pitchers combined for nine walks overall.
Yet even though Aaron Bummer gave up a monstrous solo shot to Spencer Torkelson in the seventh inning that provided the winning margin, it was the only run the White Sox bullpen allowed over 7⅓ innings.
Nevertheless, the Tigers left Chicago with the sweep.
Offense, as ever, remains the issue. The Sox dinged Tarik Skubal for a pair of two-out runs in the first inning on RBI singles by Eloy Jiménez and Elvis Andrus, but after collecting three hits and a walk in the first inning, they totaled just three hits and two walks over the remaining eight. They spent the majority of the afternoon hitting into groundouts, all the way through Oscar Colás' 4-6-3 double play to end the game.
The Tigers had similar regrets. They were able to score two runs off Kopech in the second after they properly gauged his control, or lack thereof.
Kopech walked the first two batters he faced, but Korey Lee cut down Zach McKinstry on the back end of a double steal attempt, after which Kopech struck out Spencer Torkelson and got Kerry Carpenter to line out.
In the second inning, the Tigers didn't force the issue. Kopech opened the inning missing with his first nine pitches, and while he almost worked around those two walks with a strikeout and a flyout, Carson Kelly was able to shoot a slider just fair inside third base for a two-run double that tied the game. After Kopech's fifth walk -- a five-pitch one to Akil Baddoo -- Pedro Grifol lifted him for Tanner Banks. Kopech threw just 16 of 44 pitches for strikes.
Banks entered and promptly fell behind the first batter he faced 3-0, but he got McKinstry to ground out to Andrew Vaughn, and he and the rest of the White Sox bullpen managed to steady the seas, at least until Bummer hung a sweeper to Torkelson. The defense played errorless ball, with Trayce Thompson saving at least one run with a diving catch to end the sixth, and Yoán Moncada flawlessly fielding a perfect bunt to give Lane Ramsey a sorely needed first out in the eighth after Ramsey started his inning with two walks.
Ramsey ended up snagging a comebacker for a 1-2 putout on a contact play, and Lee held on to the ball this time. Lee also cut down a second attempted base-thief later in the game, so the defense did what it could despite the odds. Lee also went 0-for-3 with a strikeout to drop his average to .045, so therein lies the rub.
Bullet points:
*Tim Anderson notched his 1,000th hit with his double in the first inning.
*Lambert walked the first and only batter he faced, and Bryan Shaw had to take over his second batter. The White Sox said he left with right ankle soreness.
*Kopech has now walked 31 batters over his last 28⅓ innings, another data point against keeping him in the rotation.
