The White Sox came into Tuesday’s game after eight games of inconsistent baseball, going 4-4. The Cleveland Indians played well, ready to clinch a playoff spot. If they don’t play better baseball, they risk washing away this amazing season with an early exit from the playoffs. The White Sox and Indians played in a great game. In the end, Cleveland won in the 10th inning, 5-3. Cleveland clinched, while the White Sox blew the potential for a better matchup in the playoffs.
Reynaldo Lopez (5IP 3H 1ER 2BB 3K 85PC) pitched well for the third straight game. Enough, I think, to earn a spot on the postseason rotation. Lopez gets a lot of grief from fans, but he has been on point since he has come back from the taxi squad and could become a huge asset.
The bullpen, on the other hand, bungled this game. The Bullpen pitched four shutout innings, but in the bottom of the 10th, the plan imploded to give Cleveland the game. Alex Colome (1IP 0H 0ER 0BB 0K 6PC) pitched the bottom of the 9th and was meant to start the 10th inning, but a back spasm made him unavailable.
Rick Renteria brought in Matt Foster, who has been on target this season, to close the game. The White Sox had taken the lead in the top of the 10th and were up 3-1. Foster had never closed before. You could see he wasn’t confident in this appearance (.2IP 1H 2ER 1BB 1K 20PC 1L 1BS). After two earned runs, Renteria took everyone by surprise and put in Jose Ruiz (0IP 1H 1ER 0BB 0K) to face the hottest hitter in baseball, 3B Jose Ramirez. Ramirez blasted a poorly-located fastball for the walk-off game-winning home run. Final score 3-5, Cleveland.
For the most part, the offense only recorded eight hits in this game. Jose Abreu was able to keep his MVP campaign going with a home run that tied the game. Edwin Encarnacion was the only person with a multi-hit game on Tuesday. Hopefully gets him going because it looks like Renteria will keep trotting him out there whether he hits or not.
Yoan Moncada, Luis Robert, and James McCann went 0-12 today. They have to start hitting; otherwise, the White Sox won’t stand a chance in the playoffs. Robert needs a day off or to be moved up in the lineup. Moncada needs to be moved from the two-hole to the bottom of the order until he looks more like himself. McCann just had an off night, but his batting average has dipped below .300.
The White Sox now sit at 34-2, only .5 games above the Twins in the AL Central and .5 games above the Athletics for number two overall in the American League. As it stands, the White Sox will still be taking on the Cleveland Indians in the first round, three-game series.
The White Sox will send out ace Lucas Giolito to take on Cy Young favorite Shane Bieber. A potential preview of game one of the playoff series. The White Sox need to bring back the intensity they had when they played the Twins last week to clinch the playoffs. Ever since that game, it seems like their focus has faded.