White Sox bombard Boyd and the Bengals, 7-2
CHICAGO — Maybe the song "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" by Tejano singer Selena induces the same warm feelings in you that it does pitcher Dylan Cease.
"Cada vez. Cada vez que lo veo pasar."
Each time I see him walk by, says the classic 1994 hit.
Right on step with the cumbia beat leading off in the first inning, Tim Anderson took a Matthew Boyd fastball deep after working him to a 3-1 count for his third dinger of the year — and TA's seventh career leadoff home run.
And maybe that White Sox tweet spoiled things a little, because Yoán Moncada decided to make Boyd's woes even worse by finding a first-pitch fastball to blast a few rows above the Powering Chicago ad.
If you thought Anderson was done with Boyd's juicy offerings, think again. TA took Boyd deep again in the second inning, crushing a flat slider for his fourth career multi-home run game.
If Anderson isn't your favorite baseball player, or at least favorite-adjacent, I'm not sure what to even do with you. Close this tab immediately. Clear your cache. Throw your electronic device into the ocean.
In the six games since he's come back from injury, he's had eight hits, three of them the long ball. He's slashing .300/.400/.611 with two multi-hit games, including tonight, after the first (August 12) where he came a double short of the cycle. And those antiseptic numbers fail to acknowledge his live-wire personality and the pure joy for baseball he brings to the ballpark, every day.
The White Sox needed Anderson back, and tonight was certainly evidence.
Oh, you want to hear what TA had to say after the game? Here you go, courtesy of the White Sox:
Someone else had a multi-homer game
Luis Robert also decided to have himself a day with the long ball, first taking a Rony Garcia slider and launching it in the sixth inning, only to do it again in the eighth inning, on another slider, this time making Kyle Funkhouser his victim.
Luis spoke postgame as well, and here it is, courtesy of the White Sox:
Vintage Gio González, 2011-12
I don't know anything about wine so I'm not even going to invest further in this metaphor, but Gio González, despite falling an out short of his first career White Sox win, showed flashes of his old self —namely his All-Star seasons. González isn't really a strikeout pitcher, but he used to be: He finished his 2012 season with a career-high 207 whiffs.
if you're into that sort of thing, you can read said article here
Though only going 4 ⅔ innings, he garnered 10 strikeouts, noticeably working the changeup/curveball combo that made him so effective in his younger years. He was locating those pitches down in the zone, luring swinging strikes that were so ugly they were beautiful.
Though Gio's 15th career double-digit strikeout game ended in a no-decision, perhaps one day he'll finally garner a win. He's actually fourth amongst active LHPs in victories with a 130-100 record, trailing Cole Hamels, Clayton Kershaw, and Jon Lester.
This additional factoid discovered by Chris Kamka was interesting: Carlos Rodón was the last, and only, White Sox pitcher to strike out 10 in four innings pitched.
You want to hear Gio assess his outing, and the White Sox offense? Here you go, courtesy of the Sox:
Yasmani, are you OK?
Yasmani Grandal left the game in the sixth inning with lower back tightness; after wringing our hands and biting our nails for a few tense moments, the White Sox announced that he is day-to-day.
Hate to kill the vibe over here, but...
Edwin Encarnación continues to be a concern, especially after Ricky Renteria assessed that he will remain at DH, at least for the time being.
But maybe he is listening to the haters; he knocked a double in the eighth inning, sending Ryan Goins to pinch-run for him. And that's when Robert did his thing. Getting on base and driving in runs is what we need from EE, so let's hope he turns things around before I screenshot his Baseball Savant page again.
In case you forgot — Danny Mendick is still good
Danny Mendick continues to bring the bat, and the glove, and we're loving all of it. Mendick followed Robert's performance by finding a Garcia fastball and hightailing it the heck out of here for his first home run of the season. Mendick has seven hits in his last seven games!
He continues to have a scorching August, slashing .318/.362./.477.
Eloy's comedic timing continues to improve
Though FanGraphs and Baseball-Reference lack this stat, Eloy Jiménez continues to develop his approach to slapstick comedy. He demonstrates his command of the deadpan stare after Robert commandeers in what would have been a ball for Eloy to catch:
Looking ahead
Gio's 10 strikeouts in fewer than five frames. Codi Heuer notching his first major league win. The White Sox becoming the first team in MLB history to hit back-to-back home runs to lead off the game off the same pitcher (Boyd), TWICE.
Is there more history to be made tomorrow?
The White Sox build their humble winning streak to two games, while Detroit's losses skid to five. Will we continue the offensive onslaught?
Hyped Tigers prospect Tarik Skubal makes his major league debut tomorrow, opposite longtime Selena fan Dylan Cease (3-1, 3.26 ERA). Once again, I have the esteemed pleasure of covering tomorrow's 7:10 CT game for South Side Hit Pen. Catch it on TV on NBC Sports Chicago, or on the radio at WGN 720.