A matchup between Corbin Burns and Chris Flexen was a microcosm of the larger series between the 2024 Baltimore Orioles and the 2024 Chicago White Sox, in the sense that both delivered unexpected entertainment value.
On Thursday, the White Sox turned an 8-2 blowout into an 8-6 nailbiter until it was decided by an interpretation of an interference rule that made sense to cops, but left everybody who watches baseball for entertainment scratching their heads, with the league ultimately sympathizing with the latter.
Tonight, the White Sox erased a 4-0 deficit and saddled Burnes with a no-decision before Adley Rutschman regained the lead for Baltimore with a pinch-hit two-out, full-count single in the top of the eighth off Michael Kopech.
An inning later, Tommy Pham's bid to extend the game with a solo shot off Craig Kimbrel was denied by Colton Cowser, who extended over the wall right of center to steal a homer for the game's final out.
Andrew Benintendi wasn't so lucky with his diving attempt on Rutschman's liner in the eighth:
And it didn't help that Benintendi slid so far on the wet turf after stopping the ball that it gave Anthony Santander a couple of steps on his journey from first to home for an insurance run that allowed Craig Kimbrel to breathe a little easier when the ball left Pham's bat, knowing he still had a run to spare if Cowser couldn't bail him out.
Such is the difference in franchise fortunes, but if you already knew that and you were content with some compelling back-and-forth baseball action, tonight's game had it.
Through 4½ innings, it didn't look like much. Gunnar Henderson was a thorn in Flexen's side. He started a two-out rally in the third with an "oopsie" double behind third base, then scored on a legitimate double by Jordan Westburg. Two innings later, he followed James McCann's two-out single by blasting a hanging changeup out to left, extending Baltimore's lead to 3-0. Flexen still looked likely to finish five, but he instead walked Westburg and gave up a single to Ryan O'Hearn, after which Justin Anderson came in and failed to put away Ryan Mountcastle, who instead blistered an automatic double over the left-center wall for a 4-0.
That should've been plenty for Burnes, but against considerable odds, the White Sox made him work. While they loaded the bases to no avail in the fourth with two walks and an infield single, they kept applying pressure in the fifth. Nicky Lopez and Pham singled with one out, and Andrew Vaughn split the left-center gap for an RBI double. Just when it looked like the Sox would squander another opportunity as Gavin Sheets struck out, Paul DeJong picked him up with a single through the middle to score Pham and Vaughn, narrowing Baltimore's lead to 1.
Two innings later, Vaughn closed the gap, jumping on Yennier Cano's first-pitch fastball and riding it out to right center for a game-tying solo shot. That turned out to be the peak of the evening, because John Brebbia took over in the top of the eighth and gave up a leadoff double to O'Hearn. He survived a pair of lineouts to center around a walk to Santander, and the volume of the contact inspired Pedro Grifol to go to Michael Kopech to face Cedric Mullins, even if figured that he'd be facing Rutschman no matter what. Kopech attacked him with all fastballs, but while his sixth one was decently spotted, Rutschman went with the outside-corner pitch and lined it to left, and that was the ballgame.
Bullet points:
*The game was delayed by 41 minutes, only for a heavy rain to set in and make a mess of the eighth. The grounds crew had to replace the spike cleaner on the mound during the inning, and Santander didn't so much score on Benintendi's arm as he scored on DeJong's poor relay throw home, perhaps counting on the ball being impossible to grip.
*Danny Mendick had a rough night, going 0-for-3 with a strikeout and a too-shallow flyout in a sac fly situation, along with an error on a short-hop he couldn't corral.
*Korey Lee showed off the finer points of his game, reaching on an infield single and a bunt, and cutting down Austin Hays for a SHOTHO in the sixth.
*Corey Julks joined Vaughn in reaching base three times on a double, single and a walk.
