After both the Cleveland Guardians and Chicago White Sox had no issues scoring last night, there was no doubt that this game would be much more likely to end as a pitcher’s duel. True to form, the game ended up being exactly what most fans expected — until a rain delay changed the fortunes of the entire game.
Unfortunately for the White Sox, those fortunes didn’t favor them.
The first few innings went along smoothly for both sides, until Anthony Kay ran into trouble in the bottom of the third. After
surrendering two straight walks, the Guardians played small ball, using a sacrifice bunt and a single to bring home the first run of the game. Luckily for the White Sox, Kay was able to lock back in and coaxed a huge double play out of David Fry to end the inning with minimal damage.
It stayed 1-0 in favor of the Guardians until Miguel Vargas had one of his best at bats of the year in the top of the fifth. With neither pitcher giving an inch, it was Vargas who worked the count, seeing nine pitches until Gavin Williams hung a sweeper up in the zone and Miguel Vargas did his best Barry Bonds impression. Not only did Vargas become the third White Sox player to have 20 home runs on the season (making Chicago the only team in baseball to hold the honor) but the White Sox turned the game on its head and took a 3-1 lead.
The game likely would’ve continued as a pitcher’s duel until the game was delayed due to rain immediately after Vargas’ home run. When I say immediately, I mean they locked that game down quicker than a security breach at Area 51. Instead of Kay likely dominating for another few innings, the rain delay took him out of the game and forced the White Sox to turn to their depleted bullpen early. It immediately moved momentum away from the White Sox and made this game up for grabs once again.
Although the delay benefited the Guardians, Jordan Hicks came in and picked up the pitcher’s duel where Kay left off, making a statement of his own. After giving up a leadoff single, Hicks sat down the next three batters, all looking, to swing momentum back in the favor of the White Sox. For a pitcher who struggled mightily early in the season, Hicks has now allowed just three hits and no runs over his last five innings dating back to late May, a trend that could do wonders for Chicago’s bullpen if it continues.
Unfortunately, the White Sox threw in Seranthony Domínguez, who is probably being paid about $8 million more than he’s worth, in the seventh inning, and his issues came to the forefront once again. Entering with a 3-1 lead, Domínguez surrendered two walks and a wild pitch, which gave the Guardians their first rally since the third inning. Even though Domínguez was pulled before a run crossed the plate, the damage was already done. Both runners that Bryan Hudson inherited from him scored, thanks to more small ball from the Guardians in the form of two RBI singles.
The stalemate continued until extra innings, when fans could finally expect to see some offense from the South Siders with a runner automatically placed on second. Instead, Randal Grichuk and Junior Perez both went down on strikes looking in two terrible at-bats (Grichuk burning the White Sox extra-innings challenge on the second pitch of the inning) before Sam Antonacci flew out to right field. Clearly, the rain delay took all the juice out of Chicago’s bats, along with their decision-making abilities.
The South Siders didn’t have enough in the tank to see out the win. After a Thursday loss where the White Sox blew a ninth-inning lead, and with it their lead atop the AL Central, the club fell victim to an all-too-familiar storyline once again.
The Guardians put an end to all of our misery when the White Sox couldn’t record a single out in the bottom of the 10th. With two back-to-back singles, the Guardians walked off the White Sox for the second straight game, taking sole possession of the AL Central once more.
It’s a tough loss for a team that will certainly feel hard done by a questionably-timed rain delay. While the rain that fell shortly after the tarps came out is undisputed, it is certainly up for debate how the game would’ve gone had starter Kay been able to continue spinning the ball as he had up to that point.
Not only does the loss hurt, but so does the fact that the White Sox again had to dig deep into a bullpen that is already hurting. With their first off day since June 25 coming next Monday, the hope is that the team can find a way to take the final two games of this series before loading up for the final stretch before the All-Star break.
