Pirates walk it off after a late rally
Though the White Sox got some clutch two-out hits in this game, they ultimately could not hold on. This was among the most frustrating losses of an otherwise exciting season, as the Pirates prevailed by a score of 5-4.
Both offenses got off to slow starts in this game, as it was scoreless until the fifth inning. However, when it rained, it poured.
In the top of the fifth, after Nomar Mazara struck out, Nick Madrigal sliced a double to center (98.1 mph exit velocity, 18-degree launch angle). This was Madrigal's first career extra base hit, and Tim Anderson followed with a base hit. Unfortunately, Pirates center fielder Bryan Reynolds threw out Madrigal trying to score on Anderson's single. On the plus side, Anderson advanced to second on the throw home.
With Anderson at second and two outs, Yoán Moncada sliced a ball toward the right side of the infield. Second baseman Kevin Newman managed to keep it in the infield. But there was no play at first base, and Anderson hustled home to score the first run of the game. The White Sox were not done in the fifth, as on-base machine Yasmani Grandal strode in. In this instance, Grandal did much more than get on base, as he launched a 380-foot homer to right to make the score 3-0.
After the White Sox scored three runs with two outs, the Pirates nearly matched the White Sox's fifth-inning, two-out rally. With the bases empty and two outs, Josh Bell started things with a double. Then Ke'Bryan Hayes hit a sharp liner to right field that Mazara could not quite reach. The ball took an inconvenient bounce, and Hayes wound up at third, while Bell scored easily. Hayes making it to third base on his liner turned out to be significant, as Kevin Newman followed with an infield RBI single that Hayes likely could not have scored on had he been held to a double.
Dylan Cease and the White Sox limited the damage to two runs, but the lead was much more precarious, at 3-2. Despite Cease's rough fifth inning, his line was solid. Five innings, two runs (both earned), no walks, and two strikeouts.
The offenses went quiet again, but a dramatic eighth inning made up for lost time. In the top half, the White Sox put another two-out rally together. José Abreu got it started with a single, and Eloy Jiménez launched an RBI double high off the right field wall to make it 4-2.
Sadly, the White Sox could not coast to a victory from there, as the bullpen ran into trouble. Evan Marshall took over on the mound, and the Pirates immediately heated up. Newman and Jacob Stallings hit back-to-back doubles to lead off the inning and trim their deficit to one. Later in the inning, Erik González tied the game with a single. After a pair of wild pitches, González found himself at third base with only one out. Fortunately, Marshall buckled down and got a strikeout, and Ross Detwiler entered the game and got a ground out to retire the side.
With one out in the top of the ninth, Madrigal got his second double of the day (and his career). However, the rookie promptly made another out on the basepaths, as he tried to advance to third base on a ball hit in front of him, to shortstop. As a result, Madrigal was thrown out easily at third, and the White Sox went down quietly after that.
In the bottom of the ninth, the Pirates ended things fairly quickly. Gregory Polanco and Josh Bell got back-to-back singles against Detwiler, and that prompted a pitching change. Jimmy Cordero entered the game, and his fourth pitch was a wild one, so the Pirates baserunners advanced to second and third. The White Sox opted to issue an intentional walk (the only free pass issued by the White Sox all night) to set up the force at every base. Up to the box stepped Newman, who hit a soft tapper in front of the plate. Cordero fielded the ball and flipped it home. It appeared that Cordero's flip was quick enough to retire the runner, but Grandal could not quite handle it, so the winning run scored.
After the loss, the White Sox are 26-16, while the Pirates are 14-26. Cleveland (26-16) moves into a tie for the AL Central lead, while Minnesota (27-18) is a half-game behind.
The White Sox and Pirates are back in action tomorrow, and that matchup will start at 6:05 CST. Dane Dunning is the White Sox starter, while J.T. Brubaker is scheduled to go for Pittsburgh.