Where the White Sox bats exploded early in the ballgame yesterday, today, the pitchers steered the first half of today’s story. Michael King and Sean Burke were trading goose eggs like baseball cards, while hitters where just trying to get a pack of cards for themselves.
The Sox tried to stir trouble in the second inning for a second straight game when Colson led off the frame with a walk, but after a poor jump he was caught stealing. Chase Meidroth drew a walk himself, which would have made it two on and nobody out for Sam Antonacci, who ended up scorching a 102.7 mph liner with an .800 xBA … for an out.
The Padres tried their hand against Burke in the fifth. Sandwiching an out, Miguel Andujar and Jake Cronenworth each notched a single to put runners on first and second. However, Burke hunkered down and induced a line out and strikeout to avoid any damage.
And that paved the way for the Good Guys to break through in the sixth! With one out, Tristan Peters drew a walk, and Andrew Benintendi followed with the most unusual infield single: popping up a bunt that hit the ground before the shifted Manny Machado could secure the catch.
(Hey, it’s a robust 38.2 mph line drive in the score book!)
Grounding out to first, Munetaka Murakami successfully moved the runners over to second and third — the first time all game a baserunner from either team reached third base. As if on cue and in theme with the inning, Miguel Vargas shot a 64.8 mph flare single to shallow right field, breaking open the score, 2-0.
With the first runs of the ballgame giving him the lead, Burke kept dealing. He beat Machado on a 12-pitch at-bat for the second out in the bottom half of the sixth and ended the inning the way he started the game: with a strikeout. After a dazzling six shutout frames, Burke extended his scoreless streak to 14 1/3 innings. He allowed just four hits, one walk and struck out eight. Batters swung and missed 11 times.
Immediately looking to extend their lead and with King still on the mound, Meidroth singled and Antonacci kept a double fair down the right field line to set up ducks on the pond and nobody out. Edgar Quero, looking for his breakthrough at the plate, lasered the first pitch he saw to bring home Meidroth, extending the Sox lead to 3-0 and running King out of the ballgame.
Bradley Rodriguez replaced King, but the Sox added once more to the score. Tristan Peters, second in MLB with five bunt singles, went the sacrifice route that brought home Antonacci and a 4-0 Sox score.
Picking up where Burke left off, Bryan Hudson and Grant Taylor pitched back-to-back scoreless innings in the seventh and eighth.
With nothing coming easy and Taylor staying in the game for a two-inning finish, the Padres began the bottom of the ninth by loading the bases: single, walk and walk. In a 2-2 count to Gavin Sheets, Grant Taylor spotted a pitch on the outside edge for a ball, but this is why you always save an ABS challenge. Quero immediately tapped his helmet after the ball call, and the at-bat was overturned to a strikeout. One down.
With the bases loaded and one out, Taylor’s pitch count was piling up. The call went to closer Seranthony Domínguez for the save. He induced a fly out to right. Two down. Luis Campusano, trying to play hero, expanded his zone significantly on an 0-2 pitch. Strikeout. Game ova! Seranthony earned his eighth save of the season.
The Good Guys improve to just one game of .500, at 16-17. They extend their winning streak to five and have won four of their last five series.
They’ll have a chance to sweep two consecutive series tomorrow, starting at 3:10 p.m. CT. CHSN has the TV coverage, WMVP-AM 1000 the radio, and I’ll be back at Petco Park.