While it may just be Spring Training, the White Sox can at least say they took one game from the Dodgers this year. The Good Guys took care of business in their 7-2 victory — but it may have come at a heavy price.
The Sox bench came through today. Lenyn Sosa and Luisangel Acuña led a first three-spot inning in the second. Sosa’s leadoff double and Acuña’s single and steal got Chicago on the board first, thanks to Dalton Rushing’s throwing error. Tristan Peters ponied up a sac bunt and Derek Hill tripled,
later scoring on another Dodger error to add to the lead.
Sosa and Peters were especially eager to evade the next flight to Charlotte, as they drove in three more runs in the third. Sosa ended his game with two hits, two runs and an RBI, while Peters topped his three-RBI day off with a Freddie Freeman home run robbery to get Grant Taylor out of bases-loaded, sixth-inning jam.
But the bench wasn’t the biggest news of the day. It was Mike Vasil.
Vasil was incredibly efficient, throwing 3 ⅔ scoreless innings using just 46 pitches. He allowed a pair of hits and walks but punched out three, including Andy Pages and Mookie Betts.
Unfortunately, the Sox can never have nice things.
After walking Freeman and Muncy at the end of the fourth, Vasil voluntarily left the game after reporting a sore right elbow. He’ll undergo further testing, but it’s never a good sign when a pitcher willingly walks off the mound. Let’s hope Chicago doesn’t miss both Kyle Teel and Vasil for longer than April.
Chicago’s bullpen characteristically couldn’t finish the shutout. Taylor and Tyler Gilbert gave up a run apiece in the sixth and seventh. Luckily, Tyson Miller managed to close out the game, granting the Sox a well-earned win that might still turn out costly.
