For a White Sox team that’s 12-51 in road games, it’s hard to feel any confidence in their playing ability away from Chicago. But weird things happen when the White Sox visit San Francisco. Unlike their East Bay curse where Oakland has not been kind, the White Sox are 7-1 at Oracle Park since 2003, with the Giants last win at home against the South Siders more than a decade ago.
White Sox had Giants starting pitcher Kyle Harrison on the ropes in both the third and fourth innings. Dominic Fletcher led off the third inning with a jam shot perfectly placed down the left-field line. Almost confusing one of the ball boys picking up the live ball, Fletcher scooted to second base for his sixth double of the season. After a Corey Julks walk, Brooks Baldwin laid a bunt in front of the home plate just far enough away that Harrison couldn’t make a throw-in time.
With the bases loaded and nobody out, the White Sox again failed to cash in. Lenyn Sosa struck out, and the struggling Luis Robert Jr. grounded into the 4-6-3 double play.
In the fourth inning, Andrew Vaughn and Korey Lee hit back-to-back singles, setting the stage for Miguel Vargas. But a fielder’s choice to second base put runners on the corners with one out. Nick Senzel couldn’t muster a fly ball out of the infield, which resulted in a pop-out for the second out, and Fletcher grounded out weakly.
Things quickly unraveled in the fifth inning.
The good was that Robert Jr. came through with a key hit. Baldwin walked and stole second base, thanks to a running start. After Sosa fouled out, it was up to Robert Jr. to cash in the scoring opportunity with two outs. On a 1-0 slurve from Harrison, Robert Jr. could inside-out the pitch down the right field line for an RBI single. It took seven at-bats for the White Sox to score, but they gave Jonathan Cannon a 1-0 lead.
But that lead didn’t last. The Giants plated four runs in the bottom half of the fifth inning thanks to five consecutive hits. Tyler Fitzgerald’s double was the killer as it gave the Giants a 2-1 lead and still had runners in scoring position. An infield single and sacrifice fly later, and Cannon’s strong start to the game was washed away.
Making matters worse for Cannon and the White Sox, Matt Chapman smashed his 20th home run of the season with a solo shot to start the sixth inning. Cannon made it through the sixth inning and finished with a line of 6 IP 8 H 5 ER 1 BB 4 K on 90 pitches. Unfortunately, the White Sox hitters couldn’t take advantage of their opportunities against Harrison, who went 6 IP 5 H 1 ER 2 BB 5 K on 98 pitches.
Things got interesting again in the eighth inning. On a ground ball to shortstop Fitzgerald, Robert Jr. hustled down the first base line to beat out the throw. The Giants challenged that impressive speed feat, but the safe call was upheld. Later, Lee doubled down the left field line to again put runners in scoring position. In a tight spot, the Giants went to submariner reliever Tyler Rogers. His first batter to face was Miguel Vargas, who could drive the ball deep enough to left field for a sacrifice fly. In a 5-2 game, manager Grady Sizemore went to his bench calling for Gavin Sheets. That call paid off as Sheets singled to center field to score Lee. Suddenly, the White Sox had the game-tying run batting as they made it a 5-3 game.
Fletcher reached for the second time with an infield single. Sizemore returned to his bench again, asking for a big hit from Andrew Benintendi, but the veteran lefty struck out on three pitches.
The White Sox got feisty again in the ninth inning. Robert Jr. picked up his third hit of the night with a single to left field, putting runners on first and second base. With two outs, it was up to Lee to continue the rally. After a passed ball, moving runners up 90 feet, Lee flew the ball to the center field and didn’t have enough juice. Despite having 13 at-bats with runners in scoring position, the White Sox only scored three runs. It was another night of too many missed opportunities.
Game Notes
- Luis Robert Jr. went 3-for-5 with a stolen base
- Dominic Fletcher and Korey Lee both had multi-hit games
- Mike Yastrzemski was the only Giants batter without a hit
