Takeaways After Exciting Noah Schultz Outing Fails to Lift White Sox Over Rays

The Chicago White Sox lost to the Tampa Bay Rays, 1-0, in what was a horrible offensive showing on Saturday.

Let's get into it ...

Noah Schultz/Bullpen's Wasted Outing

After Jordan Hicks opened the game with a 1-2-3 inning on just eight pitches, Noah Schultz came in to be the bulk reliever. Hicks extended his scoreless innings streak to 15 and looked dominant throughout the first inning. As for Schultz, for just the third time in his career, he went at least five innings and gave up one run or fewer.

Schultz's control looked much better than we've seen in the past, with no walks. He was in command much of the game, giving up two hits in the fifth inning that the Rays would manufacture a run out of. That would end up sinking the White Sox in this 1-0 game. Schultz would give up just three hits and strike out four batters, often inducing soft contact and ground balls. Schultz may have earned another start with the White Sox as the trade deadline nears.

After throwing just 67 pitches through five innings, Will Venable decided to put in Seranthony Dominguez. The former closer may be finding his way back into high-leverage situations with a perfect inning, striking out two batters.

In his last seven games, Dominguez has a 1.59 ERA with seven strikeouts in 5.2 innings. Trevor Richards also limited damage in the eighth, but it wasn't enough for an anemic Sox offense.

White Sox Offense Struggles

After a 6-1 win on Friday that saw the White Sox hit four home runs, the White Sox failed to make an impact offensively on Saturday. While they would have as many hits as the Rays (five), the difference in the game was the White Sox striking out 16 times in 31 at-bats. The White Sox would find themselves with one at-bat with runners in scoring position and would fail to score.

Rays starter Drew Rasmussen threw six shutout innings with 10 strikeouts, with just one walk and four hits allowed. Obviously, 1-0 losses are a tough pill to swallow, but the White Sox need to have a short memory and get back their offensive mojo for the rubber match on Sunday.

Next Up

For Sunday's game, Anthony Kay will face Rays starter Griffin Jax. In 28 games (17 starts), Jax has a 3.74 ERA with 92 strikeouts in 86.2 innings. His stuff has produced a lot of chases and whiffs from opposing hitters this year.

As for Kay, he went more than five innings for the second time since June 1 in his last time out. While he has a 3.51 ERA in his last seven starts, the White Sox need him to have more length and for the offense to give him run support in this series-deciding game.

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