White Sox power returns in rout of Cubs
When the dog days of summer roll in, it's not uncommon for a power outage to ensue. One only hopes that it's brief.
Such was the case for the White Sox this weekend. After being shut out on 4 hits Saturday evening, the club's offense enjoyed a serious dose of power restoration on Sunday afternoon at Guaranteed Rate Field. The club plated 7 runs in the fifth inning, then coasted to a 13-1 throttling of their crosstown rivals.
In triumphing for the fifth time in six games against the Cubs, every Sox starter scored at least 1 run, only two runners were left on base, and pitcher Dylan Cease continued a strong stretch in notching his team-leading 11th win.
A blowout before a sellout crowd of 38,565 was not apparent until midway through. In the top of the fifth inning, the Sox were up 3-1 as Cease faced designated hitter Frank Schwindel, who hit a solo homer the previous inning.
On a 2-2 count, Cease blew a fastball past Schwindel to strike out the side. Those punchouts came after a leadoff double by Alfonso Rivas, who impressed in his major-league debut with 2 hits and nearly a third that Sox center fielder Luis Robert tracked down near the warning track.
Just called up from Class AAA Iowa, Rivas singled in his first at bat, then doubled down the left-field line to lead off the fifth. The scoreboard displayed his gaudy 1.000 career average while he saw Cease strike out Sergio Alcantara, Rafael Ortega and Schwindel.
It was Cease's 94th pitch - his average through 26 starts entering Sunday - and manager Tony La Russa let him go another frame. That leeway enabled Cease to finish with 11 strikeouts.
It was Cease's 10th straight start giving up 3 runs or less.
Noting that he has an extra day before his next start, Cease told La Russa that he wanted the ball in the sixth. "I'm very grateful," Cease said. "I'm very glad I finished on a high note."
In contrast to Cease's performance in the fifth, Cub pitcher Kyle Hendricks was rocked after getting two outs in the bottom of the inning. Like Cease, he had a baserunner on second with two outs. Facing Cesar Hernandez, batting leadoff in place of a resting Tim Anderson, Hendricks issued his second free pass of the inning. He then hit Robert to load the bases.
"He lost command ... that's uncharacteristic of him," said Cubs manager David Ross. "With him, when you have the stuff he has, the command has to be really good."
Amid chants of "MVP," Abreu tattooed Hendricks' first offering over center fielder Rafael Ortega's head for a ground-rule double.
Hendricks' subsequent 0-2 edge on Eloy Jimenez dissolved when the left fielder dispatched his next pitch over the right-field fence.
Hendricks chalked the sequence up to "too many bad pitches, just not executing as well as I'd like to."
For Hendricks, the 8 earned runs were the fourth time he has given up at least 7 in 2021, including a 4-inning, 9-run outing against the Brewers on Aug. 12. Despite an ERA that has climbed to 4.43, Hendricks has a 14-6 record and is tied for first in wins.
In all, Hendricks gave up 3 homers. In addition to Jimenez's 3-run shot, Hendricks surrendered a solo home run to Robert in the first and a 2-run homer to right fielder Brian Goodwin in the second.
Another 2-run homer by catcher Yasmani Grandal off reliever Adam Morgan wrapped up the South Siders' 7-run outburst.
In the sixth, Robert greeted Scott Effross, making his MLB debut, with a 2-run homer. It was his second of the contest, and sixth on the season.
Before a hip flexor injury in early May sidelined him for three months, Robert had only 1 home run in 95 at bats. "I didn't hit too many homers because of the cold weather," Robert said. "But my swing has been the same, and my approach has been the same. Now I think you can see the results."