Week of August 2-8, 2021

Three-Game Series vs. Kansas City Royals

Royals win series 2-1

DEFENSE: Dylan Cease throws a dominant, scoreless 6 innings (2 BB, 11 SO). Beautiful. Michael Kopeck gives up the Royals only run in the 7^th. Garrett Crochet works a scoreless 8^th. Ryan Tepera goes 1-2-3 in the 9^th (1 SO). OFFENSE: Royals starter Kris Bubic pitches a quality start, giving up 3 runs and striking out 8 on 6.0 IP. But Royals reliever Kyle Zimmer issues three consecutive BBs to start the 7^th, setting up a 4-run inning for the White Sox. Andrew Vaughn solo HR (12) in the 2^nd. Tim Anderson 2-run HR (10) in the 3^rd. Seby Zavala run-scoring BB, Tim Anderson RBI 1B, and José Abreu 2-RBI 1B in the 7^th. Watch game highlights from mlb.com:

DEFENSE: Lucas Giolito doesn’t have it tonight. He gives up 6 ER on 4.0 IP (8 H, 6 R, 0 BB, 2 SO). Reliever Matt Foster (called up 8/3) pitches 2.0 clean innings. José Ruiz throws the next 2.0 IP, giving up 3 ER on 4 H (1 BB, 0 SO). Aaron Bummer goes 1-2-3 in the 9^th (1 SO). OFFENSE: José Abreu solo HR (19) in the 4^th produces the only run for the White Sox. Watch game highlights from mlb.com:

DEFENSE: Dallas Keuchel – 3 H, 2 R/ER, 3 BB, 5 SO on 6.0+ IP. OFFENSE: José Abreu solo HR (20) with two outs in the 1^st. Eloy Jiménez RBI 2B in the 8^th. Watch game highlights from mlb.com:

Three-Game Series at Chicago Cubs

White Sox sweep series 3-0 | 2021 Crosstown Classic 3-0 (continues August 27)

• Third-ever 3-game sweep vs. Cubs
• Tied Cubs for most HRs in a 6-game span ever at Wrigley Field (20)
• Cubs only team to allow 3+ first-inning HRs in multiple games this season (2)

…just sayin.

DEFENSE: Following a 17-minute rain delay, with the Cubs wearing their “Wrigleyville” City Connect unis, Lance Lynn delivers another high-quality start, giving up just 1 run and striking out 8 on 6.0+ IP (4 H, 1 R/ER, 1 BB), to bring his ERA down to 2.04. Lynn does face one batter (Andrew Romine) in the 7^th, who bunts a 1B, before Tony La Russa calls it a day. Lynn gets little help from the bullpen. Still in the 7^th, Michael Kopeck throws a BB, a flyout, and a sac fly run. Aaron Bummer then retires Patrick Wisdom on a flyout (with the help of Brian Goodwin) to end the inning. When Greg Kimbrel takes the mound in the 8^th, his former teammates have his number. He blows the save, allowing 3 singles and giving up a 3-run homer (to Andrew Romine, who has not hit a big league HR since 2017) to tie the game at 4. Liam Hendriks steps in to stop the bleeding, with three swinging strikeouts (1H), in the 9^th. Garrett Crochet gives up a 2-run HR (0 BB, 0 SO), in the 10^th. OFFENSE: In the 9^th, former White Sox Codi Heuer (1 BB) pitches well against his former teammates, striking out Tim Anderson, and pitching José Abreu into a groundout double play. Earlier, Andrew Vaughn RBI 1B, in the 4^th. César Hernández 2-run HR (his 1^st as a White Sox, 19^th on the season), in the 8^th. It’s still 4-4 at the end of 9. In the 10^th, Brian Goodwin 2-run HR (7), Gavin Sheets–PH and Tim Anderson knock an RBI 1B each. Cubs first baseman Frank Schwindel answers with a 2-run HR of his own, but it’s not enough to clinch the first game of the crosstown series. Notably, La Russa subs out Eloy Jiménez (1-for-4) for a pinch runner (Brian Goodwin), after he doubles, in the 6^th. Watch game highlights from mlb.com:

August 6—Jake Lamb activated from rehab

DEFENSE: Carlos Rodón throws another gem, striking out 11 in 5.0+ shutout innings (2 H, 2 BB). After Rodón issues his second consecutive lead-off walk in the 6^th, La Russa sends in Michael Kopech, who immediately gets the first out (K), then gives up a base hit, then gets the second out (PO), leaving Cubs runners on the corners. José Abreu gets him out of the jam with an arm-extended-lunge-position catch at 1^st, for the final out (GO to Yoán Moncada at 3^rd). With Kopech subbed out for pinch-hitter Gavin Sheets, Aaron Bummer takes the mound in the 7^th (1 H, 2 SO). In the wake of yesterday’s disaster, Craig Kimbrel gets back on the horse to pitch a clean 1-2-3 inning, in the 8^th. Ryan Tepera takes on 4 of his former teammates in the 9^th, to clinch the shutout (1 H, 1 SO). OFFENSE: Yoán Moncada 2-RBI 2B in the 1^st. Back-to-back solo HRs by César Hernández (20 – 18 CLE, 2 CWS) and José Abreu (21), in the 8^th. Watch game highlights from mlb.com:

Sunday, August 8, 2021 at 6:08 pm CDT
Wrigley Field – ESPN Sunday Night Baseball
Exclusively on ABC
Dylan Cease, RHP vs.
Cubs / Zach Davies, RHP

W, 9-3, 66-46 (.589), W3 | WP: Dylan Cease (9-6, 3.99) | Game 112

DEFENSE: Dylan Cease throws a solid 5.0 inning start, giving up 3 earned and striking out 10 (5 H, 3 R, 3 BB). His command waivers a bit in the 2^nd and 3^rd, but he recovers, retiring the next 6 Cubs (5 of them strikeouts), in the 4^th and 5^th. (Cease currently has the largest home-road ERA differential in the AL.) Reynaldo López delivers a scoreless 2 innings (1 H, 3 SO) in the 6^th and 7^th. Ryan Tepera goes 1-2-3 (0 SO) in the 8^th. José Ruiz strikes out 3 in the 9^th. The 2021 White Sox now have the most 10+ strikeout games in a season in franchise history (17)—and it’s only August 8. OFFENSE: On national TV, the Sox proudly smash 3 HRs in the 1^st—Tim Anderson solo HR (11) off the first pitch of the game, Eloy Jiménez 2-run HR (2) brings in Adam Engel (singled), and Andrew Vaughn 2-run HR (13) brings in Yoán Moncada (walked). Most first-inning HRs in a road game in franchise history, and the first time White Sox hit 3 first-inning HRs since 07/03/2012. Eloy Jiménez 2-RBI double, in the 2^nd. Eloy Jiménez solo HR (3) in the 5^th. Andrew Vaughn RBI 1B, in the 7^th. La Russa had given Tim Anderson the night off, but TA comes in early for some extra BP and talks his way back into the lineup, telling La Russa, “I found something.” And so he did. Watch game highlights from mlb.com: