Boom, pow, bang! This the White Sox offense all fans were hoping to see all season long. The Detroit Tigers have woken up a sleeping giant.
Tim Anderson, who never struck me as a lead-off hitter and has said himself that he prefers to hit 6th in the order, went 4-5 with 3R, 1RBI, and 1HR. Only a double shy of a cycle in his second game back, Anderson has proven he can hit anywhere. Anderson’s first at-bat on Wednesday’s game showed his evolution in becoming a true lead-off hitter.
Anderson took the first pitch from the Detroit Tigers’ starting pitcher Matt Boyd for a ball. Then swung at the next two pitches, but no contact. Still, Anderson was able to foul off the next six pitches, then bingo; Anderson got all of the 10th pitch. He took Boyd’s slider deep into the outfield stands, and it was all downhill for Boyd after that.
Eloy Jimenez followed suit, giving the White Sox the first game in two years that led off with back to back home runs. Jimenez was truly in a slump coming into this series. He had gone 0-19 in the last five games before Monday’s opener in Detroit. Jimenez (5-13 2R 5RBI 2HR) got his swing back going in the motor city.
Luis Robert delivered the most significant blow when he smashed a bases-clearing double that was oh so close to a grand slam. Even still, that double gave the White Sox the lead 6-5. Robert, who had been slumping the last 5-7 games, was tough today. Hopefully, this two-out hit will get the phenom back going. Nomar Mazara chipped in with a double that scored Robert in the top of the fifth.
Edwin Encarnacion has yet to hit a home run, but it was great to see him back in the lineup. Once Nick Madrigal comes back, he will bring yet another facet to the offense. James McCann stayed hot and added two hits and two walks to put his season batting average at .375. McCann has been playing a lot more with so many injured players still lingering out there. Regardless of injuries, McCann deserves to be playing a lot more than just a back-up catcher. The White Sox won the game 7-5, but it should’ve been 7-1.
After near perfect catching, James McCann finally made his first major mistake of the 2020 season. He let a third strike get past him after Victor Reyes swung at the 98MPH sinker; Reyes would have been the second out of the inning, instead it set the Tigers up to score.In the past, when the White Sox experience a tough play, the whole team shutdowns, but 2020 brought a more resilient White Sox offense. They easily shook it off and scored four runs to reclaim the lead for good.
Dylan Cease (6IP 7H 1ER 0BB 5K 101 PC 1W) looked good again, for his third win. Cease was getting ahead of the Tigers all day. He threw first-pitch strikes to 19 of the 25 batters he faced on Wednesday. In the bottom of the fourth, the White Sox had a couple of defensive mishaps that led to four unearned runs.
Cease was able to shake off the mistake for the next batter, Harold Castro. He struck Castro out with seven pitches, with a beauty of a changeup delivering the final blow. Cease went for two more innings and showed he can pitch on after a troubled inning. The bullpen finished off the game with two innings of no-run baseball, capped off by Alex Colome getting his fifth save of the year.
Although not a sweep, it was exciting to see this offense get going over the last two games of the series. This is what had been expected from the beginning of the year. TheWhite Sox have solid starting pitchers and an explosive bullpen, all they need is a consistent offense to earn the moniker of “winning team.”
The next series is set against the St. Louis Cardinals in Chicago, and as of now, the Cardinals have been receiving COVID free results. The Cards have not played a baseball game since July 29th, which is a solid two weeks of no baseball. If the series does get started, there is no way to know what to expect.
Regardless, if the White Sox can play as they did in the last two games, they can finally get a series victory at home. The White Sox have not announced who will start the game on Friday night, but neither have the Cardinals. The White Sox have the momentum going and cannot afford to lose it again. Hopefully, the White Sox can give the Cardinals a nice welcome back spanking.