Rockies 11, White Sox 5: Home-field advantage is real

Would you believe me if I told you Elvis Andrus has scored half of the White Sox runs this series? Probably not, but it is true.

If you watched last night's game, you would know he homered, which, if you do some quick math, he scored two runs this evening. The first of these happened in the top of the first. How did he score? Wildly enough, he stole home.

The rest of this game spiraled from there. Jesse Scholtens lacked control early and gave up three runs in the Rockies' half of the first. They always say walks will come back to bite you, and someone was right. Back-to-back one-out walks and a single tied the game, and an Elias Diaz single made it 3-1.

Troubles continued in the bottom of the second inning. Three singles and an untimely Andrew Vaughn deflection made it 5-1. This might have been an error, but I promise you it was marked as a hit in the scorebook.

Andrus's second run of the game was scored in the top of the third on an Andrew Benintendi single. The second baseman crushed a ball to right field the at-bat before. It might have been a home run had the fence not been so high.

A team scored for the fourth inning in a row when Elehuris Montero tripled, and two more Rockies scored. Oscar Colás was so excited a ball was hit to him that he literally bounced off the wall.

It looked like the White Sox would actually make a game of it in the top of the fifth, but after four straight hits and two runs, the heart of the lineup ruined the threat and left the game at just 7-4.

You'll notice that we are playing in Denver, and no one has yet to hit a home run. Charlie Blackmon changed that in the bottom of the seventh. A two-run blast made it a measly 9-4.

AND NOW WHAT YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR. Luis Robert Jr. hit his 33rd home run of the season in the top of the eighth. It meant nothing for the game, but it meant something to me. I promise moral victories will get us through the rest of the season.

The last runs of the night were scored during the Rockies' bottom half of the eighth. It was another Montero extra-base hit. 11-5 was the final score, and the team on track to lose 100 games this season has officially won the series from the White Sox.

You could say we've hit rock bottom.

FanGraphs

Pressure Play

Andrew Benintendi had an opportunity for some RBIs in the top of the fifth inning with runners on first and second and nobody out. Instead, he struck out looking. His at-bat had an LI of 2.14.

Pressure Cooker

In tonight's game, Luis Robert Jr. edged out Jesse Scholtens with a 1.14 pLI.

Top Play

Nolan Jones's two-RBI single in the bottom of the first to give the Rockies their lead had a 10.8% WPA.

Top Performer

Elvis Andrus is having himself a series, and he had a 17.2% WPA to prove it.

Hardest Hit

Charlie Blackmon's home run in the seventh came off the bat at 108.5 mph.

Weakest Contact

Carlos Pérez's sixth-inning ground out registered at a measly 49.6 mph.

Luckiest Hit

A .170 xBA on a Brendan Rodgers single will be enough to deem it the luckiest hit of the night.

Toughest Out

Michael Toglia's out in the seventh had an xBA of .630. I would have been bummed when I saw it caught too.

Longest Hit

Blackmon's home run may have been the hardest hit, but Robert hit his 447 feet. Take that, Rockies.

Magic Number: 16

The number of home runs Robert would have to hit to tie Albert Belle's White Sox single-season record.