2020 OOTP sim: Duffy snuffs Sox with a 1-0 shutout
CHICAGO — It seems the White Sox offense wasn't just cooled off over the weekend vs. red-hot Texas, but was put to sleep.
Despite entering the game having won four of six on the season vs. Kansas City, southpaw nemesis Danny Duffy dropped the Sox by surrendering just seven hits and a walk over eight shutout innings, winning 1-0.
As usual, the White Sox did have their chances. In the second, a two-out rally (Leury García and Yermín Mercedes singles) fizzled when José Abreu turned a juicy 2-0 fastball into a ground out to third.
Two innings later, Luis Robert led off with an infield hit, Cheslor Cuthbert following with a single to right ... only to see García falter with a double-play grounder to second. James McCann then tapped back to Duffy to finish the frame.
In the fifth, the White Sox couldn't turn a one-out double from Abreu into a run — or even advance him to third base.
And as the final score indicates, Chicago remained right in the thick of the game thanks to another strong start from Gio González, who went 6 ⅓ innings but nearly topped Duffy's game score (69-62). As has been the pattern with past starts, González got stronger as the game went on, e.g. striking out Kansas City's No. 3-4-5 hitters to zero out the fourth inning.
The Royals managed to convert on one of their few scoring opportunities, and in clutch fashion, with Ryan McBroom doubling in Adalberto Mondesi with two outs in the sixth.
The White Sox will attempt to snap their losing streak and get back to .500 on Tuesday, when Dylan Cease takes on Mike Montgomery.
AROUND THE MAJORS
The First Star of the day was Kyle Tucker, who went 3-for-3 with two doubles, a homer, three RBIs, four runs and a walk in a 10-2 Houston win over the Rays.
Xander Bogaerts went 4-for-6 with a double, homer, two RBIs and three runs in his Second Star performance vs. Cleveland. The Red Sox and Cleveland both scored for runs in the 13th inning, keeping the five-and-a-half-hour game going. In the bottom of the 14th, Jonathan Lucroy clocked a two-run homer to earn Boston a 10-8 win.
Danny Duffy was the Third Star winner for his eight innings of shutout ball vs. the White Sox.
Paul DeJong went 4-for-5 with two doubles and five RBIs in St. Louis' 9-2 win over Cincinnati. The Cardinals led 9-0 after three innings.
Actor (final credit: murdered by Albert Einstein in "Carnage Hall"), musician (Ethnocentric Republicans), and Nerf hoops champion, Wiffleball aficionado and onetime bilingual kindergarten teacher, Brett Ballantini also writes about baseball, basketball and sometimes hockey, for the NBA, MLB, NHL, and Slam, Hoop, Sporting News, the Athletic, SB Nation and others. He was CSN Chicago’s Blackhawks beat writer when their 49-year Stanley Cup drought ended in 2009-10, and took over the White Sox beat after that. He currently is the editor-in-chief of South Side Hit Pen and beat writer for Inside the Rays. He also wrote a book about Ozzie Guillén but is running out of space, so follow him on Twitter @BrettBallantini and he'll probably tell you even more about himself than you ever wanted to know.
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