The White Sox go down 6-5 as the bullpen squanders another comeback
The Chicago White Sox once again found a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, falling to the Seattle Mariners this afternoon by a score of 6-5. The loss came largely thanks to a first-inning three-run tank by Julio Rodríguez and a late-game surge by the visitors. Despite a comeback effort and a power display of their own, the South Siders couldn’t overcome early deficits and the continued struggles of their bullpen.
The game started ominously for the White Sox as Mariners’ superstar J-Rod wasted no time getting to starter Shane Smith. After he walked the first two batters he faced, Rodríguez launched a three-run bomb to center, giving Seattle a quick 3-0 advantage. Smith had difficulties with his control in the opening frame, tossing a 27-pitch inning, but he did settle in afterward, allowing only a two-out double in the third and retiring the final seven batters he faced.
The Good Guys’ offense showed signs of life early, with Chase Meidroth extending his hit streak to nine games with a leadoff double in the bottom of the first. Meidroth, who is looking increasingly like a legitimate leadoff hitter, moved to third on a deep fly ball by Miguel Vargas but was unfortunately stranded there as Matt Thaiss and Luis Robert Jr. struck out consecutively.
Tim Elko continued his power surge in the bottom of the third, smashing a solo jack to cut the deficit to 3-1. While “The Captain’s” batting average has remained low since his promotion, his three home runs have been fun to watch.
The Pale Hose continued their home run derby in the fourth. After a leadoff single by Thaiss, Lenyn Sosa launched a one-out, two-run blast to left, tying the game. On the very next pitch, Joshua Palacios followed suit with a solo shot to right, giving the South Siders their first lead of the afternoon, 4-3.
However, the lead was short-lived. Brandon Eisert entered in the top of the sixth and promptly surrendered an oppo taco to Cal Raleigh, knotting the game at four apiece.
The Mariners threatened again in the top of the seventh. With one out, Miguel Castro walked J.P. Crawford and hit Jorge Polanco. Jordan Leasure entered to face J-Rod, the “South Sider killer.” Leasure got Rodríguez to hit into a force out but then walked Raleigh. Fortunately, Leasure came up big when it mattered most, getting Randy Arozarena to ground out and end the threat.
The White Sox clawed back in the bottom of the seventh. Elko reached on a fielding error, Josh Rojas worked a free pass, and Chase Meidroth came through with a clutch single, plating Elko and giving the White Sox a 5-4 lead. Meidroth has been red-hot over his past seven games, slashing .462/.517/.654.
Unfortunately, the lead was handed right back in the top of the eighth when reliever Mike Vasil entered the contest. After surrendering a hit to Rowdy Tellez, Vasil gave up a two-run homer to Leody Taveras, putting the Mariners up 6-5. This proved to be the decisive blow. The White Sox couldn’t do anything with a ninth-inning leadoff knock by Andrew Vaughn, and the offense went quietly afterward, sealing another frustrating loss.