Just like dealing with a moody teenager, you never know what you’re going to get with Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Roki Sasaki. It seems that half the time he pitches gems, and the other half are absolute duds. Worse for the Dodgers, with Shohei Ohtani out due to knee inflammation the White Sox had a perfect opportunity to steal a win against the defending champions regardless of Roki’s performance.
Out the gate, it appeared that Sasaki would have another meltdown, as he gave up a solo home
run to Andrew Benintendi in the very first inning. Rate Field was jumping and the vibes were immaculate. Unfortunately, much like a moody teenager, Sasaki immediately settled down. After the Dodgers scored two runs with nobody out in the top of the second, there were certainly some fans wary of a hard reality check in the midst of one of Chicago’s most successful stretches in years.
After Santiago Espinal singled in his two tallies, a sacrifice bunt and a hit batsman loaded the bases with one out for Andy Pages. With nowhere to put him and Freddie Freeman on deck, White Sox starter Anthony Kay attacked and struck him out, before getting Freeman to fly out to end the threat. For an inning that saw the Dodgers load the bases and bring in runs before registering a single out, limiting Los Angeles to just two was a huge win that helped keep Chicago in this game. The Dodgers remained in control for the next few innings as Sasaki settled down, but the game was still very much within reach heading into the bottom of the fifth.
Much like the skies in the Chicago area over the past two days, the floodgates opened up in the fifth and the runs came pouring in. The White Sox did it in the way they knew best, playing small ball and dooming the Dodgers to death by a thousand cuts. Four men reached base before Sasaki could record an out, and two more walks chased him from of the game. The pitching change couldn’t stop the deluge of runs, as a Chase Meidroth single and Tristan Peters triple saw the South Siders run the inning up to a seven-spot.
That number seven had a special meaning, too, as Chicago came into the game winless in their last seven against the Dodgers. They also came into the game on a seven-game home winning streak. This was far from the same team that has matched up against Los Angeles in the past, as the Sox now believe that they can win any game, a belief that has been lacking for quite some time. Sitting with a massive 8-2 lead, the White Sox did not let up.
While they didn’t add any runs, they kept the pressure on a Dodgers team that clearly just wanted the game to be over once the White Sox took their six-run lead. The White Sox kept applying pressure and worked late into counts. It was refreshing to see from a team that seemed to sleepwalk through long parts of last year, and even an offense that went to sleep at times early this year.
It’s easy for teams to dig deep and keep plugging away in a close contest, especially when trailing. It’s rare to see a team with a big lead refuse to let up. Their unwillingness to simply coast to a win that’s already well in hand speaks to the team’s mentality, which at the moment looks very similar to other overachieving teams, like the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays, who have been synonymous with success over the past few years. If they can keep this up, there is no doubt that the White Sox are the new favorites to win the AL Central.
In these types of games with sizable leads, it can get hairy quick, as seen by the San Francisco Giants recently scoring 10 runs in the last two innings to complete an improbable comeback. The Dodgers have the ability to bring themselves back into games quickly, but they were shut down by Chicago’s bullpen. Bryan Hudson, Trevor Richards and Chris Murphy went a combined four innings without allowing a single baserunner. They slammed the door in style, securing the 8-2 win.
It was another dominant performance all around from a White Sox team that has injected life into this city. They know have a chance to take the series with a win in either of the last two games before another much deserved off-day on Monday.
