Mets 11, White Sox 10: Late rally falls short

The White Sox (40-56) got off to a slow start, and despite a five-run seventh and an interesting ninth, they could not catch up to the Mets (44-50) at Citi Field.

Starter Lucas Giolito was greeted rudely by the top of New York’s lineup in the bottom of the first. Brandon Nimmo led off the frame with a six-pitch walk. That set Tommy Pham up with an RBI opportunity that he took advantage of, slicing a double to left. Pham did not hit his double that sharply (86.3 mph exit velocity), but it was placed nicely, and Nimmo scored the first run of the game as a result. Pham advanced to third on a wild pitch, and Lindor drew a walk. With runners on the corners, Pete Alonso got just underneath a fastball that could have been a home run. Alonso’s high fly stayed in the park, as Andrew Benintendi caught it, but Pham raced home to make it 2-0.

With nobody in scoring position, Giolito struck out Jeff McNeil, and it appeared that the Mets would have to settle for just a pair. However, Francisco Alvarez crushed a two-run homer to double New York's lead. Brett Baty added insult to injury by adding a solo home run of his own. By the end of the first, it was 5-0, and Giolito had thrown 35 pitches.

Following the miserable first inning, the White Sox showed signs of life in the second, when Yasmani Grandal launched his seventh home run this season. That got the White Sox on the board against Mets starter Carlos Carrasco, as it was then a 5-1 game.

Six Pack of Stats

FanGraphs

Pressure Play
The last at-bat of the game wins this award, as Tim Anderson’s fly out had a 6.86 LI.

Pressure Cooker
David Robertson, who barely picked up the save for the Mets, had a 3.24 pLI to lead all players.

Top Play
Tim Anderson’s fly out to end the game boosted the Mets’ win probability from 80.7% to 100.0% (19.3% WPA).

Top Performer
Tommy Pham’s 2-for-3 performance that also included two walks is enough to win him top performer honors, with 16.5% WPA. Francisco Alvarez, who went deep twice, fell just short, with 16.2%.

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Hardest Hit
Jake Burger blasted an RBI double in the sixth with a 116.7 mph line drive.

Weakest Contact
Brett Baty’s ground out in the fifth inning left the bat at only 47.6 mph.

Luckiest Hit
Tommy Pham’s fourth inning single registered an xBA of only .270.

Toughest Out
When Oscar Colás lined out in the second with a massive exit velocity (114.2 mph), he had an .830 xBA.

Longest Hit
DJ Stewart’s home run in the fourth inning traveled 435 feet to narrowly edge out Brett Baty’s 425-foot home run.

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Magic Number: 7
Tim Anderson has seven hits in his last four games, which is a good sign, especially given how much he has struggled this season. Even though he flew out in a high-leverage situation, and the White Sox’s playoff hopes are already on life support, it is nice to see Anderson finding his stroke at the plate once again.

The consolation was short-lived, as the Mets went back to work in the bottom half. Nimmo drew another walk, and Lindor crushed a double to right to make it 6-1.

In the third, Benintendi worked a six-pitch walk with one out. That brought up Tim Anderson, who hit a sharp liner that fell in for a double to drive in Benintendi. Luis Robert Jr. continued the rally with a single, and he stole second to put two in scoring position. However, Andrew Vaughn struck out, and Jake Burger flew out, so the deficit remained at four. Burger’s fly out would have been a home run in 12 MLB ballparks, one of which is Guaranteed Rate Field. However, in Citi Field, it was an out.

DJ Stewart launched the first home run of his young season (this is his seventh game) to lead off the bottom of the fourth. Suddenly, the Mets were back up by five, and they were not done. Pham singled and stole second to put himself back in scoring position. With two outs, Bryan Shaw replaced Giolito on the mound, and he allowed an RBI single that drove in Pham. Giolito was charged with that run, and his final line was as follows: 3 2⁄3 innings, eight runs (all earned), six hits, five walks, five strikeouts, 100 pitches.

Benintendi and Anderson hit back-to-back singles to open the fifth, and after a soft ground out by Robert, the White Sox had runners on second and third with one out. Vaughn drove in Benintendi with a ground out, and Burger launched an RBI double to drive in Anderson. That double chased Carrasco from the game after an unimpressive performance, but the Mets still had an 8-4 lead.

In the bottom of the sixth, Shaw issued a leadoff walk to Pham, who advanced to second on a wild pitch. Shaw retired Lindor and Alonso before Tanner Banks replaced him on the mound. It was not an outing to remember for Banks, who allowed an RBI single to McNeil on the first pitch he threw. Then, Alvarez hit his second moonshot of the game, to extend New York’s lead to seven.

Trailing by a score of 11-4, the White Sox refused to go quietly into the night. Benintendi drew a leadoff walk to open the seventh, and Anderson singled to collect his third hit. Robert struck out, but on a slow roller from Vaughn, all runners were safe on a fielder’s choice, loading the bases with one out. That set the stage for Burger, who drove in a pair with his second double of the day. Grandal followed by adding a pair of RBIs with a sharp single to make it 11-8. Suddenly, the game was within reach for the first time since the first inning.

Zach Remillard continued the hit parade with a single, and Carlos Pérez entered the game as a pinch-hitter for Oscar Colás. Pérez drew a walk to load the bases, and the potential go-ahead run stepped to the plate. A passed ball allowed Grandal to score from third. That was the fifth run of the inning, and the South Siders were only down by two. However, Seby Zavala struck out, and Benintendi flew out, so the Mets preserved their two-run lead.

With the score still 11-9 after eight, White Sox legend David Robertson took over for the Mets in a save opportunity. Robertson issued a leadoff walk to Grandal on four pitches to bring the potential tying run to the plate. Remillard popped out, and Gavin Sheets hit a sharp liner to center that Nimmo managed to track down, and the White Sox were down to their last out. Pinch-hitter Elvis Andrus walked to keep the game alive, and Benintendi delivered an RBI single to drive in Grandal. Mets 11, White Sox 10, runners on the corners, two outs, top of the ninth. In other words, the pressure was on.

During Anderson’s at-bat, Benintendi stole second, and suddenly, the potential go-ahead run was in scoring position. Robertson fell behind Anderson with an outside slider, but he got a swinging strike and a foul ball on back-to-back knuckle-curveballs, so the count was 1-2. Surprisingly, Robertson went back to his slider, and he threw one that had the whole plate. Anderson put a pretty good swing on it, but he got just underneath it. The exit velocity was 99.9 mph, but the launch angle was 45 degrees, and Nimmo made a routine catch to end the game.

The White Sox will be back in action against the Mets tomorrow at 6:10 p.m. Central. As usual, NBC Sports Chicago and WMVP 1000 AM will cover the game.