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The White Sox led this one 5-0 before Derek Holland took the mound.
Then Dak Prescott threw for a touchdown in the third, then he ran for a touchdown in the fourth. Throw in a field goal by, I dunno, Chris Boniol, I guess, and that’s how you get the final score in the headline, more or less.
It’s the one kind of game that makes one miss Robin Ventura, because he would’ve probably pitched a position player at some point. Alas, we can’t include Rick Renteria in the category of...
What Was Fun
Jose Abreu: He came to the plate in the ninth inning needing a double for the cycle, but he could only come up with a lousy single for his fourth hit of the night. The triple was pretty funny -- Shin-Soo Choo misread the arc of the ball drastically down the right field line — and the homer was satisfying. He now has 24 on the season.
The first inning: If innings two through nine weren’t necessary, the White Sox would be in pretty good shape. This marked the fifth straight game with a first-inning run, and it was a bundle. Martin Perez couldn’t miss bats, and the White Sox struck with a series of unimpressive hits that added up to five runs. Kevan Smith struck the big blow with a bases-loaded double.
Renteria’s challenge calls: OK, I lied. Renteria came up with two successful challenges, both of them correcting blown calls by first base umpire James Hoye. The first one allowed Yolmer Sanchez the satisfaction of a nice play in short right field, and the second took away a second inside-the-park homer in as many nights (the ball bounced foul by a foot).
Avisail Garcia: Back in the lineup after missing two games, he went 2-for-4 with good contact throughout.
What Was Not
The pitching: Holland looks about done, but Dylan Covey was worse, and Brad Goldberg could only retire one of five batters he faced, departing after a bases-loaded walk with a blister issue. Jake Petricka came in and ... pitched 1 2⁄3 scoreless innings, stranding the bases loaded?
The defense: The White Sox committed three errors, two by Tim Anderson. The first was a relay throw that was wide of the plate and bounced away, which happens. The other was a flat-out dropped pop-up in short center, although I guess he spent plenty of time standing around in 95-degree heat thanks to the previous point.
Nicky Delmonico: He went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts, and he ended the game by grounding into a double play, knocking his OPS all the way down to 1.077.
Record: 46-74 | Box score