Week of April 11-17, 2022

April 12—Lucas Giolito (RHP) placed on 10-day injured list (abdominal strain), retroactive to April 9

April 12—AJ Pollock (OF) placed on 10-day injured list (strained right hamstring), retroactive to April 10

Three-Game Series vs. Seattle Mariners

Sox win series 2-1 | Season vs. Mariners 2-1

GAME 4

DEFENSE: In his White Sox debut, starter Vince Velasquez gives up 1 R/ER on 2 H (3 BB, 2 SO) on 4.0 IP. In the 5^th, Bennett Sousa throws LO, 1B and would have retired the side, but for Leury Garcia‘s substandard fielding on what should have been a routine 6-4-3 DP. Instead, Bennett gives up 2B on a wild pitch and issues a BB. Reynaldo López takes over with 2 outs and 2 on, striking out the next batter to end the 5^th, then throws a 1-2-3 (1 SO) 6^th, then a near-miss FO in the 7^th that would have been a HR, but for the incoming wind. Aaron Bummer finishes out the 7^th with 2 BB and 2 SO. Kendall Graveman throws GO, 2B, GO, SO in the 8^th. Liam Hendriks gets his first save of the season, but it isn’t pretty. In the 9^th, Hendriks throws K, 1B, K, 1B, RBI 1B, K. OFFENSE: Tim Anderson RBI FC scores Josh Harrison (walked, advanced to 3B on Reese McGuire 1B) in the 3^rd. Luis Robert solo HR (1) in the 6^th. Eloy Jiménez RBI FC scores Luis Robert (walked, stole 2B, stole 3B) in the 8^th. NOTABLE: The White Sox signed veteran righty Vince Velasquez on March 14. Starting for the Mariners in his major league debut, Matt Brash (23) logs his first and second career strikeouts (both Ks) vs. Luis Robert and José Abreu in a 1-2-3 1^st.

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GAME 5

^*2021 AL Cy Young Award winner

➤ Possible injury: Josh Harrison exits with lower back stiffness, after 7

DEFENSE: On a soggy night in Chicago, Dallas Keuchel gives up a HR on his sixth pitch, but ends up with a decent outing, giving up 3 R/ER on 6 H (0 BB, 6 SO) in 5.0 IP. With the help of a perfectly-timed jump catch at the wall by Adam Engel that robs Jesse Winker of a game-tying HR, Kyle Crick walks 1 and retires 3 (1 SO) in the 6^th. José Ruiz (2 SO) and Kendall Graveman (2 SO) pitch clean innings in the 7^th and 8^th. Liam Hendriks gets his second save of the season but, again, it’s not pretty. In the 9^th, Hendriks throws 2B, K (runner advances to 3B on passed ball by Yasmani Grandal), RBI 1B, SO, GO. OFFENSE: Eloy Jiménez solo HR (1) in the 2^nd. Also in the 2^nd: Jake Burger RBI 1B scores Andrew Vaughn (singled, advanced to 2B on WP, advanced to 3B on Josh Harrison FC) and Tim Anderson 2-RBI 2B scores Harrison and Burger. Tim Anderson (1) and Luis Robert (2) launch back-to-back solo HRs in the 7^th—in heavy rain.

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GAME 6

DEFENSE: Despite losing the game, starter Jimmy Lambert‘s performance isn’t terrible. He gives up 2 R/ER on 2 H (1 BB, 1 SO) in 3.0 IP. Tanner Banks pitches a scoreless 4^th and 5^th (1 BB, 0 SO). Matt Foster holds the line through the 6^th and first out of the 7^th (1 H, 0 BB, 2 SO). Bennett Sousa completes the 7^th, giving up 2 R/ER on 1 H (1 BB, 0 SO). José Ruiz pitches the first ⅔ of the 8^th, giving up 1 R/ER on 3 H (1 BB, 2 SO). And making his MLB debut, hard-throwing, Dominican lefty Anderson Severino (27) finishes out the game without incident (0 H, 1 BB, 3 SO). Severino takes the mound in the 8^th with bases loaded and strikes out the first batter of his career (Adam Frazier, top of the lineup) on a 3-2 count to end the inning. Sensational! OFFENSE: On a blustery day in Chicago (29 MPH at first pitch), gusts of wind save the White Sox from three routine pop outs in the 5^th, leading to their only (unearned) run of the game. The first two wind gusts benefit Adam Engel who ends up at 2B after his first pop fly blows foul and the wind renders his second fly ball uncatchable (scored as E2). Then Jake Burger reaches 1B on a pop fly, scoring Engel as the wind outsmarts Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford (scored as RBI 1B). Starter Logan Gilbert and the Mariners bullpen keep the White Sox bats in check, allowing just 4 H and 0 ER over 9.0 innings (1 BB, 9 SO). NOTABLE: The White Sox signed free agent Anderson Severino to a minor league contract in November 2020. He had been bouncing around the Yankees Organization since 2013.

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Three-Game Series vs. Tampa Bay Rays

Sox win series 2-1 | Season vs. Ray 2-1

GAME 7

DEFENSE: Dylan Cease turns in a respectable 5 ⅔ IP for his second win in as many starts. He gives up 1 R/ER on 3 H (2 BB, 8 SO). Cease exits in the 6^th after walking 1 and striking out 2 (score is 0-3 Sox). Enter Aaron Bummer with 2 outs and a runner on 1B. Bummer gives up an RBI 2B that scores the inherited runner, followed by another RBI 2B that scores the previous batter. A LO ends the 6^th. It’s 2-3 Sox. Bummer returns in the 7^th to make a better showing—allowing a 1B, then retiring the next three. Kendall Graveman pitches a 1-2-3 (2 SO) 8^th. Closer Liam Hendriks is more himself today and doesn’t make things complicated—1-2-3 for the save. OFFENSE: Gavin Sheets (hit ground-rule 2B, advanced to 3B on Leury Garcia GO) scores on a Drew Rasmussen WP in the 2^nd. Jake Burger solo HR (1) off his first-ever pitch from Drew Rasmussen (his second career HR) in the 3^rd. Jake Burger 1B scores Leury Garcia (doubled, advanced to 3B on Andrew Vaughn GO) in the 5^th. NOTABLE: Tim Anderson tallies his first SB of the season in the 1^st. Leury Garcia‘s 2B in the 5^th breaks an 0-18 slump, and man is he happy!

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GAME 8

DEFENSE: Starter Michael Kopech pitched well against a tough lineup, and got better as he went along—a hopeful sign?! He gives up 1 R (0 ER) on 1 H (2 BB, 5 SO) on 5.0 IP (a Josh Harrison E5 in the 1^st allows Brandon Lowe to advance to 3B, rendering the subsequent run unearned). Reynaldo López throws 2B, SO, LO, BB, RBI 1B/PO) in the 6^th. López is properly charged with 1 ER, but ends up as the technical game winner. José Ruiz (3 K) and Bennett Sousa (2 K) pitch a 1-2-3 inning each in the 7^th and 8^th. In an “exciting” (?) finish, closer Liam Hendriks goes 1B (advances to 2B on WP), FC (out at 3B), FO, 1B (steals 2B), IW, K, for the save. Okay, fine. OFFENSE: José Abreu 2-run HR (1) scores Tim Anderson (singled, advanced to 2B on a pickoff E1) in the 4^th. Abreu is .340 lifetime vs. Corey Kluber. Yasmani Grandal 1B scores Luis Robert (reached on E6, stole 2B, advanced to 3B on José Abreu FO) in the 6^th. NOTABLE: Rays left fielder Randy Arozarena ejected by HP umpire Junior Valentine for tossing the bat straight up in the air after he is called out looking in the 6^th.

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GAME 9

DEFENSE: Starter Vince Velasquez gets off to a rocky start, giving up 4 R/3 ER on 3 H (3 BB, 2 K) in the 1^st, then pitches 3 scoreless innings. He exits with 2 outs in the 5^th after allowing a 1B. Velasquez posts 5 H and 5 SO on 4 ⅔ IP (no additional R or BB after the 1^st). Tanner Banks retires the side with a K, then throws 2B, K, GO, FO in the 6^th. Matt Foster walks 1 and retires 3 (0 SO) in the 7^th. He exists in the 8^th after throwing GO, BB. Anderson Severino takes the mound with 1 on. After 3 unsuccessful pickoff attempts, the inherited runner advances to 2B on a wild first pitch. Severino’s second pitch hits Kevin Kiermaier, then he gives up 3B and 2B after making a throwing error on a pickoff attempt. Next, he allows a 2-RBI 1B that scores the inherited runner and the HBP, followed by GO, RBI 2B, WP gives up 3B, RBI 2B, PB gives up 3B, K, making it 8-2 Rays. Ouch! Kyle Crick goes GO, 1B, 1B, RBI 1B, L1-3 DP in the 9^th. OFFENSE: Gavin Sheets RBI HBP scores José Abreu (singled, advanced to 2B on Yasmani Grandal BB, advanced to 3B on Eloy Jiménez BB) in the 4^th. White Sox again load the bases in the 5^th (Adam Engel 1B SB(2) WP, Tim Anderson BB SB(2), José Abreu BB), but Engel scores the only run on a PB. Gavin Sheets solo HR (1) in the 9^th. NOTABLE: Rays lineup have sharp eyes today, taking a bunch of close changeups. This is the first game of the season in which the Sox allow 5 runs.

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