Just Getting Started?

White Sox drop Spring Training opener to Padres, 6-2

Well, might as well cancel the season because the White Sox lost their first game in Spring Training, 6-2.

All jokes aside, this game saw some good.

For starters, Lance Lynn settled in nicely after giving up back-to-back-to-back singles to open the game. Those hits would be his only surrendered, leading to his only run of the outing. Lynn finished the day going three innings, giving up one run, and striking out four.

Bullpen regulars Kendall Graveman and José Ruiz, soon en route like Lynn to WBC squads and away from Camelback Ranch, each worked one inning this afternoon as well. Graveman, who got tacked with the loss after giving up a run on a wild pitch, gave up a triple and struck out two batters during his work in the fourth inning. Ruiz allowed one hit and struck out one batter during his fifth-inning outing.

Gavin Sheets opened his spring with a home run over the right-field fence in the bottom of the second inning. It was good to see some early power from a guy who will likely see some time in right field and in the DH spot during the regular season.

After the starters got their feet wet with two at-bats apiece, it was substitutions galore: Jake Marisinick in center field, Lenyn Sosa in at shortstop, Bryan Ramos at third base, Oscar Colás in right field, Jake Burger at first base, Carlos Pérez at catcher, Zach Remillard pinch-hitting in the DH spot in the ninth, Luis Mieses in left field, Romy González in at second base.

Speaking of Romy, he got caught stealing in the bottom of the seventh on a play that definitely looked like a bad call. I cannot locate the video, but I promise it looked like he held the bag.

The only other scoring for the White Sox came from a Jake Burger solo shot in the bottom of the ninth inning. Burger will likely need an injury elsewhere on the roster to get him to break camp with the big club for Opening Day, so a big spring from him could force the issue.

The remainder of the Padres scoring came in the eighth and ninth innings. In the top of the eighth, Connor Hollis came home on a Evan Mendoza sacrifice fly. The wheels fell off in the ninth inning, with Mike Morin giving up three runs and also not getting out of the way on a pop fly.

All in all, yes, it was a loss, but there seemed to be hustle and attack at the plate from our starters this afternoon. I suppose I won’t write this team off quite yet.

More spring training action is set for tomorrow at 2:10 p.m. CT against the Angels. Tanner Banks is set to get the start, and Hannah LaMotta will have your SSS coverage.