Game 1
It looked like things were going to get ugly really fast for Sox starter Sean Burke as the Cardinals wasted no time lighting up the scoreboard in the first. Masyn Winn kicked things off with a leadoff walk. Iván Herrera followed up with a sharp single, scooting Winn over to second. Burke packed the sacks by surrendering a free pass to Alec Burleson. With the pressure on, Willson Contreras lofted a sacrifice fly to left, easily plating Winn and giving St. Louis an early 1-0 advantage.
Chicago’s defense offered Burke a reprieve in the second. After Lars Nootbaar singled, Kyle Teel’s timely throw caught Nootbaar stealing, completing a strike ‘em out, throw ‘em out double play as Burke fanned Jordan Walker. Burke settled in, his curveball improving throughout the game as he retired the Cardinals in order in the third and fourth, finishing with seven strikeouts over 5 1⁄3 innings.
The Sox knotted things up in the fourth, capitalizing on some shoddy Cardinal defense. Miguel Vargas and Teel jump-started the rally with back-to-back base hits, setting up Luis Robert Jr. to successfully bunt both runners over. Though Ryan Noda struck out, Josh Rojas hit what looked like a single up the middle. Yet, Winn’s impressive grab was marred by a wide throw to first, allowing Vargas to score on the error.
The Good Guys seized the lead in the bottom of the fifth on Andrew Benintendi’s one-out triple. Vargas followed by smacking a single to center, driving Benny home. However, the lead proved short-lived as the Cardinals knotted the score in the top of the sixth with an unearned run. Herrera singled to center, and Alec Burleson reached on catcher’s interference by Teel. After Contreras struck out, manager Will Venable called on Brandon Eisert. The southpaw induced a groundout from Nolan Gorman, then intentionally walked Nolan Arenado to load the bases. St. Louis capitalized when Nootbaar drew a walk, tying the game at 2-2. Fortunately, Eisert limited the damage by striking out Walker to end the threat.
Veteran Michael A. Taylor briefly ignited the South Siders with another lead, launching a two-run go-ahead bomb to left in the sixth. Venable went to the pen in the top of the seventh for the other Taylor on the team, Grant, who retired the Cardinals 1-2-3.
Things looked promising again in the seventh when Benintendi led off with a single. Sadly, Vargas grounded into a double play. Yet, the Sox didn’t roll over; Teel worked a walk, and Robert singled. But with two on and two out, Lenyn Sosa flew out, leaving the runners stranded.
The never-say-die Cardinals retook the lead in the eighth. Reliever Cam Booser entered the game, promptly surrendering a single, a two-run blast to Contreras, and then committing a throwing error that ultimately allowed the go-ahead run to score. This bullpen remains incredibly frustrating; they couldn’t hold a lead if their life depended on it.
So, with two outs, Venable turned to the pen again for Steven Wilson, who got Winn to fly out and bring an end to a painful frame. The damage was already done, though, as that inning proved to be the nail in the coffin as the Sox couldn’t muster any other runs in the final two innings.
Poll
Who was your White Sox MVP?
Sean Burke: 5 1⁄3 IP, 4 H, 2 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 7 K
Grant Taylor: IP, 0 R, 0 H, K
Steven Wilson: 1 1⁄3 IP, H, BB, 2 K
Miguel Vargas: 2-for-4, R, RBI, BB
Michael A. Taylor: 1-for-3, R, 2 RBI, BB, K, HR
Chase Meidroth: 2-for-5, 2 K
Andrew Benintendi: 2-for-5, R, 3B
0%
Sean Burke: 5 1⁄3 IP, 4 H, 2 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 7 K
(0 votes)
0%
Grant Taylor: IP, 0 R, 0 H, K
(0 votes)
0%
Steven Wilson: 1 1⁄3 IP, H, BB, 2 K
(0 votes)
0%
Miguel Vargas: 2-for-4, R, RBI, BB
(0 votes)
0%
Michael A. Taylor: 1-for-3, R, 2 RBI, BB, K, HR
(0 votes)
0%
Chase Meidroth: 2-for-5, 2 K
(0 votes)
0%
Andrew Benintendi: 2-for-5, R, 3B
(0 votes)
0 votes total
Poll
Who was your White Sox Cold Cat?
0%
Mike Tauchman: 0-for-5, 2 K
(0 votes)
0%
Ryan Noda: 0-for-2, K
(0 votes)
0%
Josh Rojas: 0-for-2
(0 votes)
0%
Cam Booser: 2⁄3 IP, 3 H, 3 R (2 ER), BB, E
(0 votes)
0 votes total
Game 2
Check back after the contest for our Game 2 wrap-up.