Chicago White Sox starter Dylan Cease’s ninth pitch whereas dealing with Kyle Farmer within the fifth inning might have been known as strike three.
Instead, the excessive slider was known as ball 4.
“It could have been called either way,” Sox supervisor Pedro Grifol mentioned.
A potential inning-ending strikeout/throw-out scenario grew to become two runners on with one out. Edouard Julien adopted with a three-run dwelling run, which helped propel the Minnesota Twins to a 4-0 victory towards the Sox in entrance of 17,641 on Sunday at Guaranteed Rate Field.
Jorge Polanco additionally homered for the Twins, who took three of 4 within the collection. It was the ultimate division recreation of the season for the Sox, who completed 23-29 towards the American League Central.
“We’ve got to do better in general against everybody,” Sox proper fielder Gavin Sheets mentioned. “Division, in division, out of division. We’ve just got to do better. That’s the main goal next year: win more games. Obviously in division you want to take care of, but just overall.”
The Sox (57-93) have been blanked for the twelfth time this season. Here are three takeaways from the collection.
1. There wasn’t a lot endurance on the plate.
Sox heart fielder Trayce Thompson drew a stroll with two outs within the ninth on Sunday. It was the crew’s solely stroll of the sport.
The Sox walked simply thrice within the four-game collection.
“Granted this team doesn’t walk that many guys,” Grifol mentioned of the Twins, whose pitchers have the fourth-lowest stroll whole within the majors (411). “They are a pretty good strike-throwing team. We have to bear down on our at-bats and find a way to get to first base and create some free passes and get guys in when we have to.”
The Sox are final within the majors with 347 walks. It’s an space the place the crew should enhance subsequent season.
“It has to be a big part of our game,” Grifol mentioned. “Any time there’s a rally someplace, there’s a stroll included. Most of the time. It’s very exhausting to string hits collectively, not to mention three, 4 or 5 hits collectively.
“We chase a lot. We know that. It’s not a secret. We’ve got to home in on the strike zone, on our strike zone, on good pitches to hit and take the ones we can’t hit. If it means we take a walk, we take a walk. You don’t go up there to draw a walk. You go up there to hit, but you go up there to hit certain pitches you can hit. That’s how walks come about.”
2. Touki Toussaint bounced again properly.
Touki Toussaint lasted simply one-plus inning in Game 2 of Tuesday’s doubleheader towards the Kansas City Royals.
The right-hander allowed eight runs, exiting after dealing with 4 batters within the second inning.
He rebounded properly Saturday, permitting one run on three hits with eight strikeouts and one stroll in 5 innings within the 7-6 win.
“In this game, it’s not about your last, it’s about what you do with your next opportunity,” Toussaint mentioned Saturday. “Just bouncing back and giving the team a chance to win.”
Toussaint gave up the run within the first inning. He allowed only one hit whereas putting out six in his ultimate 4 innings.
“He just found the strike zone, found his mechanics, found his rhythm,” Grifol mentioned. “He used his breaking ball early, which was good. His cut up was actually good. He used his fastball to each side of the plate.
“What Touki has shown us is he’ll have one inning here and there where he’ll lose it, but when he finds it he’s tough to hit because he’s got that breaking ball that’s a slower breaking ball that keeps guys off-balance and disrupts timing a little bit and he’s got that split that comes out like a fastball and tunnels really well. When he finds his rhythm and finds his release point and pitches, he’s pretty tough.”
3. Luis Robert Jr. seems to rebound towards the Washington Nationals.
Tim Anderson, Yoán Moncada and Luis Robert Jr. have been among the many regulars the Sox rested on Sunday.
It was a bumpy homestand for the All-Star Robert, who went 2-for-24 towards the Royals and Twins. He was 0-for-12 with eight strikeouts towards the Twins.
“He’s had a couple of these runs throughout the year,” Grifol mentioned earlier than Sunday’s recreation. “You simply don’t know when he’s going to interrupt out of it. He’ll get an excellent pitch to hit, he’ll hit it out of the ballpark, and the following factor you recognize, he’s on a tear for 5 or 6 days. Very just like those he’s had in earlier months, he’s had about two or three of those, and he’s all the time one swing away.
“I just wanted to give him a break (Sunday) and get him ready for tomorrow (against the Washington Nationals). He was nursing a little bit of a rib that everybody saw me go out there (Friday), so erring on the side of caution for that. But it also gives him a break mentally. Just get back after it tomorrow.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com