White Sox Take Series Opener From Guardians After Big Fifth Inning
Shane Bieber and Lance Lynn were locked into a tight pitcher's due as the Cleveland Guardians took on the Chicago White Sox for the first time this season.
The division foes had rough starts to the season but have started to turn things around. Chicago gained control of momentum after an 8-3 victory in the opener.
Lynn was perfect through the first three innings of Tuesday night's game and Bieber had not given up a run heading into the bottom of the fifth inning. With two outs left in the frame, it looks like the game would remain scoreless.
However, as Luis Robert Jr. swung a pitch in the zone, Cleveland's catcher Mike Zunino got smoked on his mitt hand and was called for catcher's interference on a pitch that should have ended the inning.
Six consecutive two-out hits later, the White Sox took a six-run lead and bounced Bieber from the game. This rally included home runs from Jake Burger and Gavin Sheets. Chicago only went on to score two more runs after this big inning.
Cleveland's offense did produce somewhat thanks to a solid night from Steven Kwan. The lead-off hitter drove in Myles Straw twice, one on a sacrifice fly and the other on an RBI double.
The Guardians did tally nine hits in the series opener but struggled to string them together to turn them into runs. One of the big moments from Tuesday night's game was Brayan Rocchio making his Major League debut and getting his first hit.
Terry Francona mentioned over the weekend that the Guardians are going to win games if they are ultra-clean on defense. Unfotnay that wasn't the case in this game and they would up losing because of this.
Cleveland has an opportunity to tie up the series on Wednesday with Peyton Battenfield on the mound. The first pitching will be at 8:10 PM EST.
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