Sox can't sweep the Angels after blowing a 5-0 lead
ANAHEIM, Calif. — The White Sox have been a feel-good story since mid-July, winning 10 of 14 games since the All-Star break and surpassing their win total from last year’s horrific 41-121 season with two months to play, but Sunday provided a stark reminder that they’re still, well . . . the White Sox.
A five-run lead in the third inning turned into a two-run lead in the sixth, a tie game in the seventh and a walk-off loss in the ninth as Taylor Ward hit a three-run home run off Sox reliever Tyler Alexander to give the Angels an 8-5 victory at Angel Stadium.
Rookie shortstop Colson Montgomery provided most of the Sox’ offense, smashing a three-run homer — his seventh blast in 11 games — to cap a four-run first inning and hitting an RBI single in the third, but the Sox were blanked on four hits over the last six innings.
Rookie right-hander Sean Burke allowed three runs in the sixth, reliever Mike Vasil gave up two in the seventh and Ward’s 26th homer, a career high, snapped the Sox’ winning streak at three.
“Five runs in the first four innings is a great start, but we knew we had to tack on,” manager Will Venable said. “We’ve got to push the pedal to the metal there, keep forcing these guys to make plays and put the ball in play hard, but the offense kind of stalled out, and they took the momentum.”
The Sox took a 4-0 lead off Angels starter Jack Kochanowicz in the first. Lenyn Sosa singled, Andrew Benintendi walked, Luis Robert Jr. hit an RBI single and Montgomery lined a 93 mph sinker over the right-field wall.
The Sox pushed the lead to 5-0 in the third when Sosa walked, took second on a single by Robert and scored on Montgomery’s hit.
Burke needed only 64 pitches to blank the Angels on two hits through five, but he hit a wall in the sixth when the first four batters reached base, three scoring to cut the Sox’ lead to 5-3.
Zach Neto led off with his 16th homer, driving an 87 mph slider 412 feet to left-center to snap a 16-inning scoreless streak against Sox pitching. Nolan Schanuel walked, and Mike Trout, who struck out swinging at 96 mph fastballs in the first and third innings, poked a slider into the left-field corner for a double, putting runners on second and third.
Ward’s RBI single to left — on another slider — made it 5-2. Venable pulled Burke in favor of Vasil, whose wild pitch allowed Trout to score to make it 5-3. But Vasil stopped the bleeding by getting Jo Adell to fly out to right, Luis Rengifo to ground out to the mound and Travis d’Arnaud to ground out to third.
“I thought it was good up until the sixth, but the third time through the order, they’d seen some pitches from me and changed their approach a little bit,” Burke said. “They were kind of sitting on the slider.
“The one to Neto, I left up a little bit, and Ward and Trout put some good swings on them, too. I felt good all day with my stuff, so it’s frustrating to kind of end it like that.”
Vasil ran into immediate trouble in the seventh, giving up singles to Christian Moore and pinch hitter Yoan Moncada. Neto doubled to left-center to score Moore and pinch runner Gustavo Campero for a 5-5 tie.
Schanuel grounded out to first, advancing Neto to third, and Trout was intentionally walked, putting runners on first and third with one out. But Vasil snuffed out the rally by striking out Ward with an 83 mph sweeper and Adell with a 96 mph fastball.
Sox right-hander Steven Wilson threw a scoreless eighth and got the first out of the ninth. Venable summoned the left-handed Alexander to face the left-handed-hitting Schanuel, who doubled to right.
Trout was intentionally walked, and Ward drove a full-count, 79 mph sweeper into the left-field bullpen for his game-winner.
“It was kind of a tale of two games,” Venable said. “The first [three] innings, the offense did a great job, we came out swinging, had quality at-bats, got a big three-run homer by Colson. Burke was outstanding, his fastball was great, he did a really nice job . . . and then things really just turned.”