The Chicago White Sox made a tweak to their lineup Saturday, flipping Andrew Benintendi to the highest of the order and shifting Tim Anderson to No. 2.
They solely bought two occasions by means of the lineup collectively — Anderson exited within the fourth inning with proper shoulder soreness.
Zach Remillard stepped in as a part of the modifications after Anderson left and got here by means of with three hits in his major-league debut to guide the Sox to a 4-3 victory in 11 innings in entrance of 45,188 at T-Mobile Park.
Remillard tied the sport with an RBI single within the ninth. He put the Sox forward with a two-out RBI single within the eleventh.
“I don’t think you can fully put it into words,” Remillard mentioned. “Where this journey started and what you dream of is exactly what happened today.”
Manager Pedro Grifol known as it “the best win of the year for us.”
“This was a resilient, gutsy win,” he mentioned.
Grifol mentioned he was not stunned with Remillard’s day.
“He’s a winner, he’s a baseball player, I saw it all spring,” Grifol mentioned. “And he didn’t disappoint today.”
He got here in after Anderson exited within the fourth.
“I think he did it pregame, out there stretching and throwing,” Grifol mentioned. “He toughed it out for three innings. Just kept getting tighter and tighter. The evaluations are good. We’ll see how he wakes up tomorrow.”
Anderson walked within the third and was doubled up when Luis Robert Jr. popped out in foul territory to first baseman Ty France. Anderson was going with the pitch. He had a dialog with Grifol and the coaching workers earlier than the underside of the third and remained within the sport.
When the Sox returned to the sector for the underside of the fourth, Elvis Andrus made the transfer to shortstop from second and Remillard took over at second. The Sox mentioned Anderson is daily.
It has been a tough journey for the Sox injury-wise, with third baseman Yoán Moncada (decrease again irritation) and starter Mike Clevinger (proper biceps irritation) occurring the injured checklist.
It had been a troublesome journey result-wise, with losses in three of the primary 4 video games.
Remillard helped flip that. He walked in his first plate look within the fifth and picked up his first hit on a bunt single within the seventh. Then got here the RBI singles within the ninth and eleventh.
“I got something up and away and was able to serve it into right field for the base hit,” he mentioned of the go-ahead single.
It additionally was productive day on the plate for Benintendi, who had a season-high 4 hits and a stroll. He doubled within the third, singled and scored within the fifth and singled once more within the seventh and eleventh.
“Leading off you want to get on base and create havoc,” Benintendi mentioned. “It’s a good day.”
After hitting 4 solo homers Thursday in opposition to the Los Angeles Dodgers and two extra in Friday’s collection opener in opposition to the Mariners at T-Mobile Park, the Sox made the lineup change seeking to have extra runners on for the guts of the order.
“(Benintendi’s) got a high on-base, (Anderson) uses that (opposite) side of the field really really well,” Grifol mentioned earlier than the sport. “The idea is for (Benintendi) to be on base, (Anderson) to use that side, us to go first to third and get the big guys up with men in scoring position and men on the bases.”
Benintendi has a .347 on-base proportion. Anderson, who has hit over .300 every of the previous 4 seasons, is batting .250 in a yr disrupted by an IL stint April 11-May 2 due to a sprained left knee.
“I just think the injury in Minnesota has really affected him,” Grifol mentioned earlier than the sport. “It despatched him right into a mechanical modifications with out him even figuring out. When you’re carrying a brace and also you’ve by no means worn a brace, your physique’s doing one thing totally different since you’re carrying it. You take it off and your physique continues to do these issues. You attempt to end up.
“There’s a lot of things that have played into it. But the cool thing about baseball is we’ve got 92 games left, he hits at the top of the order, he has about 350-400 plate appearances left. I’m completely confident he’s going to turn this thing around and have a really good year.”
It was the primary time Anderson didn’t begin a sport as a leadoff hitter because the 2019 season.
“If there was a lineup change, that means it was received good,” Grifol mentioned. “It’s a collaboration kind of factor. It’s not a dictatorship. I need guys comfy taking part in the sport.
“Doesn’t mean we won’t do things when they’re a little bit uncomfortable, but these guys want to win. Whatever it takes to win baseball games, they’re on board.”
That meant a spectacular debut for Remillard.
“The amount of gratitude I have and how exciting it is to have my family here, it’s a moment I will never forget for the rest of my life,” he mentioned.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com