Injury bug bites White Sox in low-scoring win
The White Sox (7-4) looked to extend their five-game win streak, but Brandon Woodruff and the Brewers (3-5) did not make things easy. With Woodruff and Lucas Giolito starting on the mound, many expected a low-scoring ballgame, and that is exactly what we got. Before the first run scored, a couple of unfortunate events occurred.
In the top of the third, Nick Madrigal led off with a single. That brought the White Sox back to the top of the order, and they appeared to be setting themselves up for a big inning when Luis Robert singled. However, Madrigal gambled and tried to advance to third, and he was thrown out by old friend Avisaíl García. The bigger story, however, is that Madrigal had to leave the game due to an injury he suffered as he slid into third base. The White Sox made the following statement regarding Madrigal's status:
In 18 career plate appearances, all in 2020, Madrigal is slashing .294/.333/.294. The batting average and the on-base percentage will work, but Madrigal is still looking for his first extra-base hit. The occasional double would not only boost his value, but it would also keep defenses honest and prevent them from moving significantly closer to the infield when he bats.
Edwin Encarnación also got bit by the injury bug. This appeared to happen as Encarnación ran to first base on his infield single in the top of the fourth. Encarnación remained on the basepaths immediately following the single, but he did not make another plate appearance, as Zack Collins replaced him at DH.
In 33 plate appearances, Encarnación is slashing .200/.250/.300, which is not up to par, but it is still very early. Let's hope that Encarnación and Madrigal have speedy recoveries.
With Giolito and Woodruff dealing, nobody scored until the bottom of the fifth. Logan Morrison led off with a double into the right-field corner, and two batters later, Ben Gamel launched a two-run shot to right. The home run was Gamel's second of the young season, and it gave the Brewers a 2-0 lead.
The Brewers lead did not last long, however. In the top of the sixth, Yasmani Grandal led off with a single, so slugger Eloy Jiménez had an opportunity with a runner on and no outs. Jiménez did not waste the opportunity.
That 428-footer was the third homer of the year for Eloy, and it tied the game 2-2. What a job Jiménez has done at the plate in the early going.
The White Sox proceeded to take the lead in the top of the seventh. Danny Mendick reached on an error by shortstop Eric Sogard and advanced to second on Sogard's overthrow. Mendick later advanced to third on a wild pitch, and José Abreu came up with yet another big hit with two outs.
The Brewers threatened to counter with a big inning in the bottom of the eighth. They started that inning with runners on first and second with no outs, and reliever Jimmy Cordero was in a high-leverage situation. Fortunately, Cordero forced a ground ball to second base by Keston Hiura, and the White Sox turned a 4-6-3 double play. Cordero then managed to get a clutch strikeout of Christian Yelich to escape the jam.
That strikeout sent us to the ninth, which Alex Colomé closed out with a grounder to first. That was big, especially considering that Milwaukee had runners on second and third with two outs.
The White Sox return to play tomorrow at 7:10 CST against the Brewers, this time in Chicago. Dallas Keuchel and Adrian Houser are the probable starters tomorrow evening. The White Sox are now 7-4 and have won their last six games. Aside from the injuries, let's keep this going!