Explosive sixth inning clinches series victory for White Sox
PITTSBURGH — White Sox right fielder Mike Tauchman stepped to the plate in the sixth inning with two outs and the bases loaded against Pirates reliever Isaac Mattson in a tie game.
The Sox, who had little success against right-hander Mike Burrows, were now in prime position to flip the game after entering the inning trailing by two runs.
Mattson was aggressive against Tauchman, getting ahead in the count 0-2. After Tauchman fouled off a fastball in the zone, Mattson made a mistake on the fourth pitch of the at-bat and Tauchman made him pay.
Tauchman unloaded on a middle-middle slider for a bases-clearing double to center to give the Sox their first lead of the game. His hit elicited a loud "Sell the team" chant from Pirates fans at PNC Park.
Chase Meidroth drove in the sixth run of the inning on an RBI single before Miguel Vargas, who began the sixth with a leadoff double, grounded out to end the inning.
"It was a great inning for the boys," Tauchman said.
The Sox' explosive sixth clinched a 10-4 victory against the Pirates for a series win — their first series win after the All-Star break last season came in September. The Sox (34-65) recorded 13 hits on Saturday and have scored 20 runs over a two-game span.
The Sox' offense started slow, their first hit didn't come until the fifth when they were trailing 3-0 on Luis Robert Jr.'s single, who then stole his 24th base of the season. That hit opened a crack in Burrows, who had dominated the club until that point.
After Colson Montgomery struck out for the second out, Lenyn Sosa drove in Robert on an RBI single and Josh Rojas drove in Sosa on an RBI double.
"We just keep grinding and competing," manager Will Venable said. "Until you are out, you have a shot to do something positive. Our guys have had that mindset and continue to have that aggressive mindset of competing."
Smith sidelined
All-Star Shane Smith was placed on the 15-day injured list with a left ankle sprain suffered while running during Thursday's team workout.
Assistant general manager Josh Barfield said the team did imaging and "everything came back clean." Barfield said Smith can continue throwing.
"It shouldn't be too long after he's eligible to be reinstated," Barfield said of Smith's return.
Tuesday's spot in the rotation has yet to be determined, but it's likely right-hander Davis Martin returns in Tampa as he's nearing a return from his own IL stint.
Smith's trip to the IL does make it fair to question how the team monitors him down the stretch as he nears a career high in innings. Barfield said the team has a specific innings number in mind that has been discussed among the coaching staff, performance group, and front office.
"We've run through a lot of different scenarios to make sure we're not redlining him," Barfield said. "This is a long season, and we want to make sure he's not going over a certain threshold of innings."
Roster moves
• Right-hander Wikelman Gonzalez was recalled from Triple-A Charlotte before Saturday's game.
• Utility player Brooks Baldwin returned from his rehab assignment and was activated off the 10-day IL.
• Outfielder Will Robertson was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte.