White Sox 8, Rangers 3: Late-inning offense off lefty leads to victory

The Chicago White Sox kept pace with the Texas Rangers, and a big eighth inning carried the Good Guys to an 8-3 victory on Friday night !

Although Reynaldo López opened this game and pitched two shutout innings, Davis Martin stole the show. Through five innings of work, Martin gave up just three hits, but all three were of the extra variety:

• In the fifth inning, Nate Lowe crushed a baseball, and it was just a question of if it would stay fair or not, and a clink off of the foul pole indicated a solo shot.
• Adolis García, on the other hand, drove a ball over the center-field wall for another solo shot, in the sixth inning.
• Lowe would also crush a ground-rule double in the seventh.

Martin did walk one batter, but he struck out six. In the three games he has had for this year and his MLB career, Martin has done the job very well.

With the Rangers also throwing a bullpen game, the Sox offense pieced together a few runs throughout the evening. Garrett Richards replaced Matt Bush in the second inning, and red-hot Jake Burger doubled to left and later scored via a Yasmani Grandal RBI single for an early 1-0 lead.

Following the Rangers’ two home runs and a 2-1 deficit, Luis Robert reached base via a fielder’s choice, and he put his wheels to use! Swiping second, Robert improved the White Sox stolen base rate to 28-of-30. As that graphic appeared on the screen, Robert raced to third base, and Sam Huff’s errant throw found its way to left field, so Robert found his way home for a 2-2 game.

Yes, the White Sox are 29-of-31 on stolen base attempts.

Josh Harrison found his way on base in the seventh via another fielder’s choice, whereupon AJ Pollock doubled over the head of Brad Miller in left field — Harrison was off to the races and scored rather easily, for a 3-2 Sox lead.

Kendall Graveman came in to pitch the eighth, and he recorded the first two outs rather easily, but Corey Seager sent a ball to the right-center field bleachers to tie the game late, 3-3.

Have no fear, because Yasmani Grandal is BACK (and lefty John King was on the mound)! With two outs in the eighth and Jake Burger (single) and Yoán Moncada (single) on base, Yaz Money flipped a baseball to the right field corner for a two-RBI double and a 5-3 Good Guys lead!

The offense did not stop there: Harrison singled up the middle and drove in Leury García — who pinch-ran for Grandal — for a 6-3 score.

And Danny Mendick wanted in on the fun, so he hit a line-drive rocket to the left-field bleachers, and the score morphed into a 8-3 lead!

Keep bringing the lefties! However, righty Jesus Tinoco relieved King and finished the inning.

With a five-run lead going into the ninth, Liam Hendriks sat down the Rangers 1-2-3!

The South Siders win, 8-3, and improve to 27-29 overall!

Lucas Giolito (4-2, 3.54 ERA, 4.37 xERA) and Martín Pérez (4-2, 1.56 ERA, 2.57 xERA) will share the bump for tomorrow’s 1:10 p.m. CT game. NBC Sports Chicago has your broadcast, and Di Billick and Chrystal O’Keefe have your South Side Sox game coverage.

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