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A decent start from Dylan Cease and a tornado of offense in the second inning paced another win for the White Sox, this time coming with a 6-4 pad at Camelback Ranch over the Cincinnati Reds on Friday.
Andrew Vaughn provided the big blast, a three-run shot that took a 2-0 lead and blew it out to 5-0:
The other big plus from this game was another stellar outing from the White Sox bullpen, sans closer Liam Hendriks but managing to chug along as if he was still anchoring the proceedings. The final six pitchers for the White Sox, covering six innings, choked Cincy to the tune of three hits, one run and five Ks without a walk. Particularly impressive were the two youngsters, Nick Avila and Sammy Peralta, who took the final third of the contest.
Avila was a bit of an aggressive Rule 5 pick who is so far rewarding his new club’s confidence with a 3.00 ERA this spring; the righty went two innings with a run and two Ks along with just a bit of crazy including a hit batsmen and a balk. Peralta is not expected to break north with the big club, but he has excelled in a closing role in the early spring, and Aaron Bummer’s continued ailing could open up a spot.
One cow patty plopped in the arm barn on Friday was Kendall Graveman, whose ERA shot to 13.50 in his pre-WBC White Sox work. After Vaughn’s blast gave the South Siders a seemingly insurmountable early lead, Graveman made it exciting in the very next frame by surrendering a three-run shot to Jake Fraley:
Graveman’s partner in antivaxdom, Cease, played in heavy traffic (single, two walks, his own error) in the first of his two innings, loading the bases with one out before shifting the momentum with a key K of Chad Pinder to back the infield up and eventually escape the inning unscathed.
Seven Significant Shifts of the Game
.163 WPA Vaughn hits a three-run homer in the second to make it 5-0
-.145 WPA Fraley gets three right back with a homer in the third to make it 5-3
.127 WPA Zach Remillard singles in Yasmani Grandal to make it 1-0 in the second
.092 WPA José Ruiz induces an Alberto-Colson Montgomery-Jake Burger double play to end the sixth and keep the score 6-3
.086 WPA Tim Anderson singles in Hanser Alberto to make is 2-0 in the second
.080 WPA Grandal homers to answer back in the third, setting the score at 6-3
.073 WPA Cease K’s Pinder in the first inning of a 0-0 game
The 4-3 White Sox (SAY WHAT) keep on keepin’ on Saturday, with a game hosting those free-spending Rangers. See how the other half lives, and get the inimitable Malachi Hayes’ take on the game proceedings, beginning tomorrow at 2:05 p.m. Central.
Poll
Who was the MVP of Chicago’s 6-4 thumping of Cincy on Friday?
This poll is closed
-
83%
Andrew Vaughn: 2-for-3, three-run homer
(40 votes) -
2%
Oscar Colás: 1-for-1, 2B, SB
(1 vote) -
12%
Yasmani Grandal: 2-for-3, 2 R, HR, RBI, K, LOB
(6 votes) -
0%
Zach Remillard: 1-for-2, R, RBI, SB, K
(0 votes) -
2%
Jake Diekman: IP, K, Hold
(1 vote) -
0%
Sammy Peralta: IP, K, Save
(0 votes)
Poll
Who was the Cold Cat in the 6-4 White Sox win over the Reds?
This poll is closed
-
65%
Kendall Graveman: 2⁄3 IP, 2 H 3 ER, HR, BB
(28 votes) -
0%
Romy González (in CF!): 0-for-2, 2 K, 2 LOB
(0 votes) -
4%
Jake Burger: 0-for-2, K, 3 LOB
(2 votes) -
30%
White Sox bat discipline: 11 Ks, 1 BB
(13 votes)
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