3 Takeaways After White Sox' Offense Struggles Against the Dodgers

One day after putting up eight runs, the White Sox were nearly no-hit on Saturday.

Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Sean Burke | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

The Chicago White Sox dropped Game 2 of the series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday, losing 7-1 with Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto nearly throwing a no-hitter.

There will now be a rubber match Sunday with Erick Fedde taking on Emmet Sheehan.

Here's what stood out on Saturday afternoon against the back-to-back champs.

White Sox Offense Struggles

Yamamoto was near-perfect against the White Sox, with an error ruining his perfect game in the eighth inning and a Tristan Peters home run ruining his no-hitter in the ninth inning. His location was, for the most part, unbelievable, with his fastball often clipping the outside corner and his splitter buckling hitters.

Yamamoto struck out seven batters in 8.1 innings and was inducing weak contact mostly. Chicago's hitters had no answers for the 2025 World Series MVP.

Command Ruined What Could Have Been a Closer Game

It might've been worth it to consider a left-handed opener for the first inning.

Sean Burke did not come out with his best command against Los Angeles, giving up three runs in the first frame. In four innings, Burke gave up four runs and walked five batters. Then, Joe Rock came in for his White Sox debut, giving up five free passes in three innings of work. Not great.

When considering that Shohei Ohtani and Max Muncy's home runs against Burke were located in horrible spots, this was a bad day for Sox pitchers.

With a Dodgers team that doesn't chase much, you have to give them competitive pitches while also hitting your spots.

Ohtani returning to the lineup on Saturday, after missing Friday's game, was huge for Los Angeles. He went 1-for-3 with a home run and three walks. His impact cannot be overstated as the face of the game.

What to Expect for the Upcoming Rubber Match

If you told me before the season started that the White Sox and back-to-back World Series champions would result in anything but a Dodgers sweep, I would've been happy.

But given the Sox' hot start to the season, and seeing how Chicago dominated Los Angeles in the first game of the series, I'm sure fans want more.

Against Sheehan, who has arguably been the Dodgers' worst starter, the Sox may have a chance to win the series. However, Fedde and the Sox can't afford to walk as many batters as they did on Saturday.

Look for the Sox offense and pitching to bounce back on Sunday.