Red Sox 3, White Sox 1: It Doesn’t Have to be Pretty

What the hell did I just watch? Are the White Sox truly that bad? As I filled out my lineup card tonight, I thought that the top of the White Sox lineup has a decent amount of talent. They also have decent starting pitching in Lance Lynn, Lucas Giolito, and Dylan Cease. I thought, “That should be enough to play at least 500 baseball”, which would put you in the mix in the AL Central. I was incredibly wrong. The Red Sox struck out 17 times. They got four hits. The offense was nearly nonexistent. They still won that game.

Most of the time, I tend to think a team winning a game when they don’t play their best is a sign of good things to come. Tonight, I think it was more about the White Sox being inept than the Red Sox playing a good game.

That’s not to say it was a complete failure for the Red Sox. Brayan Bello wasn’t at his best, yet still managed to get through 6+ innings allowing just one run. I wasn’t overly impressed with anything Bello did tonight; in a weird way, that’s a good thing. The White Sox aren’t a dominant offense, but for Bello to get that deep into a game while working out of trouble and not consistently executing his pitches is a great sign. Many young pitchers would spiral, but Bello remained calm and got the outs he needed. He’s still raw, but he’s quickly becoming a great starting pitcher.

Regardless of how they got it done, tonight was a must-win coming off two tough losses to the Twins. Taking the series is a must, but given how bad this White Sox team is, a sweep shouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility. Who cares if it wasn’t pretty? A win is a win.

Three Studs

Brayan Bello (6.2 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 Ks)

As I said above, Bello wasn’t at his best and still managed to get through six innings relatively unscathed. If he stops getting so deep into counts and starts putting hitters away early, look out.

Rafael Devers

Devers hit a ball one million feet. Even when he isn’t going, he’s going.

David Hamilton

This was the first game I got to see Hamilton play, and he impressed me in the early innings. On the very first play of the game, he charged a slow ground ball and made a strong throw to get Benintendi at first despite concerns about his arm strength. In the third inning, he put in a really strong at-bat, took a couple of close pitches with two strikes, and drew a walk. From there, he scored without the Red Sox putting the ball in plays. Regardless of anything else, speed kills.

Three Duds

Connor Wong (0-4, 4 Ks)

Four strikeouts in a game isn’t good. I’d even go as far as to say that it’s bad.

Adam Duvall (0-4, 4 Ks)

See above.

The Rest of the Lineup

Pretty much anyone in the lineup could be considered a dud. 17 strikeouts can’t happen on a regular basis. Good thing it was just the White Sox.

Play of the Game

If you’re going by the most impactful play, it’s probably Rafael Devers’ two-run moonshot. If you’re going by the coolest play, it’s definitely this 5-4-3 double play.

Here’s another scorecard, because why not?