Reynaldo López couldn't corral his command or keep the ball in the park tonight, getting crushed for eight earned runs while recording just 11 outs, fueling an 11-4 Chicago White Sox drubbing up north.
The Minnesota Twins are the first team to 100 home runs this season, which is no surprise after tonight’s game. It’s not often the Sox score four runs off Jose Berríos, although just one was earned. It’s a shame the White Sox couldn't take advantage of it and get the win.
The Twins struck first, in the first. Max Kepler led things off with a double, and Eddie Rosario eventually singled him home to give the Twinkies a quick 1-0 lead.
The White Sox came out swinging in the second. Eloy Jiménez reached first safely on an airmailed throw from Jorge Polanco. Tim Anderson then roped a double by right fielder Marwin González. Yonder Alonso then hit through the shift to score Eloy and Timmy and give the Good Guys a 2-1 lead.
The scoring wouldn't end there, as Yoán Moncada singled scoring Yolmer Sánchez, and José Abreu singled to score Charlie Tilson and Moncada.
With the South Siders up, 4-1, Reynaldo López’s only job was to retain the lead.
Spoiler alert: He couldn't maintain it.
Hit it where they ain't. pic.twitter.com/CkmNv9aEXT
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) May 25, 2019
Rey Lo had a rocky second inning, with a walk to Miguel Sanó and then pelting Jonathan Schoop. Byron Buxton, the MLB leader in doubles, then doubled and scored Sanó. Kepler’s sac fly to center scored Buxton, trimming a three-run lead to just one.
The home-run bashing Twins came out in the third. Eddie Rosario struck López for a solo shot to tie the game up, 4-4. Sanó then cranked one out to give Minny the lead, 5-4. Kepler joined the home run party in the fourth, pushing the score to 6-4. Gonzalez knocked López from the game with a double off the right field wall, which scored Polanco.
It was López’s shortest and worst outing of the year. He threw 3 2⁄3 innings with eight earned, three Ks, two BBs and seven hits, three of them home runs. Sigh.
Ryan Burr came in to relieve López of his duties, but couldn't get the last out of the inning before the Twins struck again on a Rosario single, scoring González. The Twins were up, 8-4, at the end of the fourth.
Burr came out again for the fifth and gave up a leadoff walk to Sanó, followed by a double from Schoop. Burr then got Buxton and Jason Castro to go down swinging. Jace Fry relieved Burr and immediately yielded a hit to Kepler, which then extended the lead 10-4.
In the first five innings, the Twins put up at least one run. Fry finally put an end to that nonsense in the sixth inning. Sox fans, rejoice!
Thyago Vieira took over the seventh for the South Siders. Castro doubled off him to lead things off, and Kepler continued to absolutely destroy us tonight by hitting a rocket to Ryan Cordell, which wound up being an error, scoring Castro. Vieira held down the last two innings of the game, giving up no runs.
For his relatively clean work tonight, Vieira received a bus ticket back to Charlotte, although to be fair the move had little to do with his pitching. With Manny Bañuelos apparently back into pitching shape and ready to come off of the IL, Thyago had to go.
But it’s not the only potential move we may see this weekend. It seems as if tonight’s starting catcher, Welington Castillo, will be going through concussion protocol:
Welington Castillo was caught very flush on the mask with a foul tip and staggered backward. It looks like they’re running to get James McCann out of the clubhouse, because Castillo is leaving the game
— James Fegan (@JRFegan) May 25, 2019
An IL stint for Castillo would necessitate either Seby Zavala or Zack Collins getting a call-up to the big club tomorrow. The Twitter masses are calling for Collins, but Zavala brings more of an MLB-ready defensive game. We’ll see.
(Postgame, Daryl Van Schouwen reported that Rick Renteria said that Castillo is not in fact going through concussion protocol, so who knows, maybe we are due for more Beef to deflate the lineup three times per week.)
So, the Twins beat the White Sox, 11-4. Tomorrow looks like a rough one, as even a healthy Bañuelos seems like an unfair fight against Kyle Gibson. If there were homers galore tonight, you betcha there will be some on Saturday.
You can catch the game at 1:10 p.m. on NBC Sports Chicago, with Ashley Sanders on the SSS coverage. Hopefully, tomorrow’s game will somehow turn out better than tonight’s did.