Lopez, Chicago White Sox set strikeout records in win over Tigers
Tim Anderson isn't the only Chicago White Sox player unafraid to show his emotions on the field.
Like Anderson, Reynaldo Lopez is low-key in the clubhouse.
But after throwing his final pitch in Sunday's 4-1 victory over the Detroit Tigers at Guaranteed Rate Field, Lopez pounded his right hand in his glove twice while screaming and later raised his arms to the sky.
It was an outing to celebrate.
After getting off to a sluggish start this season, Lopez was electric in the Sox's second straight win.
The 25-year-old righty piled up 14 strikeouts - a career high - while allowing 1 unearned run on 2 hits and 3 walks in 6 innings.
The last pitch was a 97-mph fastball that struck out Brandon Dixon. Lopez's fastball was between 95-98 mph all day, and he kept Tigers hitters off balance with an effective changeup and slider.
"It was very good," Lopez said through a translator. "I felt good from the start. It was a very special outing for me. I've been working hard. I probably didn't have the best start to the season, but I'm feeling very good right now, and this outing was very important.
"I just regained my rhythm. My mechanics, my rhythm was off the first few outings, and the last three I regained it. I've been able to perform at the level that I know that I can do it, and the results have been there."
Catcher Welington Castillo had the big hit for the White Sox, a 2-run double in the first inning. He was impressed with Lopez.
"That's how I think about him every time that he takes the mound," Castillo said. "I think he's going to go and he's going to shut the game down, the other offense. He has a lot of abilities. A really good arm, a really good fastball, a really good breaking ball. He just needs to stay focused and give everything he's got every time."
Reliever Jace Fry, Kelvin Herrera and Alex Colome each pitched 1 inning and had 2 strikeouts as the Sox set a club record for a nine-inning game by striking out 20.
"The strikeouts for me are just a consequence, they're an outcome," said manager Rick Renteria, who was ejected in the third inning for arguing a baserunning call involving Jose Abreu. "You saw Fry's stuff today, his breaking ball was really good, his slider. When their stuff is good and they're executing, it just basically tells you they're on the right track in terms of managing what they're capable of doing."
Launch away:
Tim Anderson has flipped his bat twice in April after hitting home runs.
Both tosses have been aimed at his own dugout, and Kansas City Royals starter Brad Keller didn't like the first launch.
Anderson said he's not going to tone down his celebrations.
"I don't know the old-school rules," he said. "I think we're going to switch it up a little bit. My guys like it. It gets them going. It brings a lot of spark to the squad and definitely gets these guys going."
On the move:
After missing four games with a sore left thumb, top outfield prospect Luis Robert is back playing for high Class A Winston-Salem, and he homered in Sunday's win over Frederick.
Batting .429 with 7 home runs and 21 RBI in 18 games, Robert could be promoted to AA Birmingham as early as this week.
The White Sox did elevate another outfielder Sunday, bumping Joel Booker from AA Birmingham to AAA Charlotte.
In 20 games at Double-A, Booker batted .351/.400/.446 with 1 home run, 9 RBI and 8 stolen bases.