In back-to-back nights, the offense scored eight or more runs while the pitching staff maintained its command, as the White Sox secured their first road series win since the May 1 series in San Diego after beating the Orioles, 9-3.
His ERA didn’t improve much (4.41), but Erick Fedde was solid enough tonight to earn his third win of the season, working out of some key jams to keep himself and the Sox in the game. Fedde tossed 90 pitches across five innings and gave up three runs on five hits, walking three and striking out three, and eventually had a nice eight-run cushion to work with.
Despite leaving eight runners on base as a team, the Good Guys were efficient (3-for-9) with runners in scoring position, and every batter in the lineup reached base at least once, except for Miguel Vargas – but hey, he can’t be the hero every night. His teammates picked him up anyway, mashing 11 hits with three doubles and two homers while also drawing six walks to keep the baserunners flowing. Andrew Benintendi and Jacob Gonzalez each popped off for three hits, while three players racked up two or more RBIs: Gonzalez (three), Junior Perez (three), and Colson Montgomery (two), with the latter two each mashing a bomb.
The White Sox scored early with one run in the top of the first after Kyle Teel drew a walk to start the game, and Benintendi mashed his 12th double of the season to the right field corner. Righthander Trey Gibson stumbled through the first for the Orioles, walking three batters to load up the bases, but the Good Guys unfortunately couldn’t capitalize, and Tristan Peters grounded out to strand all three.
The South Siders’ one-run lead lasted for maybe 10 minutes, give or take. Gunnar Henderson struck from the leadoff spot once again, beginning the frame with a base hit, and Pete Alonso walked to put two runners on with two outs. Jumping on the first pitch, Samuel Basallo delivered in the clutch with a base hit in the right-field gap to erase the lead and tie the game, 1-1.
The good news is that the White Sox apparently got sick of being called a “bad road team” and exploded for seven runs in the top of the third with six hits, three walks, and two home runs: a two-run, 440-foot moon shot from Colson Montgomery, and a three-run tank from Junior Perez for his second of the year.
Since joining the team on June 18, Perez has gone 4-for-13 with two home runs and four RBIs while posting a 1.047 OPS. It’s a small sample size, and Perez has also struck out six times, but there’s been some solid production from him when he’s been called upon.
On top of that, Jacob Gonzalez drove in two during the mega rally in the third, and sent a deep RBI double to right-center the next inning that one-hopped the wall to drive in his third run of the night. Since snapping his rough cold streak, Jacob has slashed .440/.481/.720 while going 11-for-25 with a homer, four doubles, 12 RBIs, and just four strikeouts. With Tuesday’s game, Gonzalez has raised his season OPS above .700 (.738) and has been making massive strides to keep his spot on the team once Munetaka Murakami is back.
After the Perez home run, that was the end of the day for Gibson, and it’s likely one he will want to forget. To make things worse, the Baltimore coaches seemed to let him flounder out there, opting not to use another mound visit during the mayhem. Gibson ended up with his third loss after 2 2/3 frames, allowing eight runs on seven hits, two homers, six walks, and five strikeouts; and his ERA has now ballooned up to 7.36. Ouch. But thank you for your service, sir.
The Orioles added two more runs in an attempt to cut the eight-run lead down in the bottom of the fifth, but Fedde worked through the jam to complete five innings and be on the hook for the win. Back-to-back doubles from Gunnar Henderson and Dylan Beavers scored one, and an RBI single from Pete Alonso scored the third Baltimore run, but that was all she wrote from their offense tonight.
Recalled from the Triple-A Charlotte Knights just a few days ago, Tyler Schweitzer came on to relieve Fedde and ended up finishing out the game and earning his first major league save. Schweitzer looked great throughout all four innings, only surrendering four hits while striking out three. He also tossed 36 of his 46 pitches (78%) for strikes, and looked way more buttoned up this time around. Tyler’s job was to eat innings, and he did that perfectly to save the game and close out the series win.
The Cleveland Guardians just dropped their second game in a row to the Texas Rangers tonight, leaving the White Sox with a two-game division lead. Regardless of whether they sneak out of Baltimore with a sweep, this next series in Cleveland will be huge. With these big wins over the last few games, the Good Guys now have a +30 run differential, which is the third-best in the American League, and have slightly improved their road record to 17-25.
We got an early one on at Camden Yards on Wednesday, with the series finale taking place at 11:35 a.m. CT. Lefthander Noah Schultz returns from the IL and makes tomorrow’s start, not having pitched since May 24 in San Francisco. In three June rehab starts with the Knights, Schultz accumulated a 4.00 ERA across nine innings, giving up four earned runs with two homers, six walks, and 15 strikeouts, with seven Ks in his final 4 2/3 frame outing.
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