White Sox 15, Brewers 4: Who are these guys?
Bats are unleashed for a second straight game
The red-hot White Sox bats from last night carried over to this afternoon, resulting in an offensive explosion that sure would have been great to witness or hear. But alas, I was stuck with Gameday, which crashed in the fifth inning and didn’t start up again until the game was already over.
Chicago absolutely hammered Milwaukee starter Bryce Wilson, tagging him for 10 runs (nine earned) on 12 hits in just three innings. The Brew Crew defense definitely didn’t help him any, as it committed two fielding errors and two passed balls. The poor guy faced 21 batters before manager Pat Murphy put him out of his misery.
The barrage of runs started when the South Siders scored two in the top of the first with an Eloy Jiménez double to left. Apparently, left fielder Brewer Hicklen (yes, he plays for the Brewers, AND his first name is Brewer) booted the ball, and Eloy tried to take advantage but was tagged out at third. You have to appreciate the hustle, though — so props to the big man. On the other hand, we don’t need another injury-plagued season for him, either.
The Pale Hose collected five more tallies in the second, including two-run bombs by Korey Lee and Andrew Vaughn and a solo shot by Rafael Ortega. The run scoring continued in the third with three more marks on the board. Wilson threw, and the Good Guys didn’t miss. I’m not sure where this offense is coming from, but I’m here for it.
Erick Fedde was better than Wilson, but it wasn’t a walk in the park. In his four innings of work, he gave up three runs on seven hits with one strikeout. However, what I liked best about his outing was that he surrendered no walks. Take note, all of you other Sox pitchers, and ask your boy Fedde for some tips. It would be spectacular if we didn’t walk the yard this year.
Another positive takeaway is that Lee had a solid game with the stick and behind the plate. He was 3-for-5 with a homer and a triple, and he threw out two baserunners. He’s performed well so far in spring and is making a solid case for the backup spot — but most likely, he will still end up in Charlotte to start the season.
Let’s talk about another bright spot: Jordan Leasure, who ranks No. 15 on MLB’s White Sox top prospect list and No. 14 at South Side Sox. The righthander has been stellar in his Cactus League appearances, and pitched another two shutout innings today. He maintains a perfect 0.00 ERA and has most definitely earned himself a spot in the big league bullpen.
The Good Guys struck again in the seventh inning, scoring a pair, and then added another in the eighth on a Danny Mendick blast. The final blows came when they tacked on two more in the ninth, ending the onslaught and racking a win.
The White Sox are back at it tomorrow against the Los Angeles Angels at 3:05 p.m. There will be no TV or radio again, so check back with us at South Side Sox for your preview and recap.