2020 OOTP sim: Texas trounces Sox, 6-2
CHICAGO — The American League-best Texas Rangers bombed White Sox starter Dylan Cease early and often, spurring a 6-2 rout at Sox Park.
Cease, who entered the game with a 1.72 ERA over his first three starts, surrendered a run-scoring double to Joey Gallo in the first inning, then surrendered two separate two-run shots in the same right-center spot, to Nick Solak and Rougned Odor, to put the Good Guys down, 5-0.
And Texas proved it could small-ball the White Sox to death in the early going, as well, with two bunt hits and two stolen bases in the first two frames.
Cease took the loss as his first decision of the season and saw his ERA swell to 3.80 after the Rangers pounded him for six runs and eight hits over 5 ⅔ innings, three homers, three walks and seven Ks. The 33 games score was Cease's worst this season by far.
Texas starter Kyle Gibson wasn't at his sharpest, but still whittled the White Sox bats to a nub, offering just one run over six innings.
The White Sox had a golden chance to get right back into the game in their half of the second. Gibson walked both Zack Collins and Nomar Mazara on four pitches, and ran the streak to 10 by going 2-0 to Luis Robert. Robert singled to load the bases with nobody out, but after a dying liner from Nick Madrigal caught in center for a sac fly, Yasmani Grandal walked, José Abreu whiffed, and Yoán Moncada grounded out sharply to first.
Chicago wouldn't threaten from there, earning its second and final run on a 431-foot home run from Eloy Jiménez to lead off the eighth.
It wasn't all terrible for the South Siders, as new reliever Pat Venditte got his first action of the season for the White Sox, striking out Odor to begin his career and ending with 1 ⅔ innings of one-walk, three-K ball. Kelvin Herrera mopped up the game with 1 ⅔ innings and one walk, chiseling his ERA down to 7.88.
The White Sox also swiped three more bags, one from Robert (three on the season) and two by Moncada (four). The team has been successful on 20-of-23 attempts this season.
With Cleveland's walk-off win against the Tigers, the White Sox fall to second place by a half-game. The four-game set resumes tomorrow, with Matt Tomshaw (0-1, 4.09 ERA) taking on Texas righty Jordan Lyles (0-1, 5.17).
AROUND THE MAJORS
First Star of the day was Rhys Hoskins of the Phillies, who went 3-for-3 with a homer, three RBIs, two runs and two walks in a 10-1 mauling of Milwaukee.
Second Star Trea Turner went 2-for-4 with two homers, five RBIs, two runs and a walk in a 7-1 Nationals trouncing of the Cubs.
Mike Moustakas of the Cincinnati Reds was the Third Star, with a 3-for-4, two-homer, three-RBI, two-run effort in a 5-4 loss to San Francisco. Moustakas now has 10 homers on the season.
José Ramírez hit a two-run homer with one out in the bottom of the ninth to send Cleveland into first place with a 4-3 win over Detroit.
Zach Davies had his first poor start of the season for San Diego, but the Padres scored five in the seventh and three in the eighth to prevail 8-6 over the Rockies and move to 15-4 on the season.
On an 0-1 count with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Mets second baseman Max Moroff blasted a two-run homer to defeat the Braves, 5-3.
Baltimore starter Alex Cobb will miss the remainder of the season with a partial UCL tear.
And finally ...
