CHICAGO – Gavin Sheets hit the plate in the seventh inning of a 9-3 win for the White Sox over the Angels Tuesday at a Guaranteed Rate Field that needed a triple for the cycle. He also carried with him specific instructions from manager Tony La Russa.
Skip said, “If you touch one, don’t stop,” Leaves said with a wide smile at the zoom of the back game. “He said, ‘Go ahead.’ … If I found one in the gap, there was no way to stop me. Even if I got a single, I probably would have kept going … Oh man, I would have loved to play one. “
Sheets touched down on Luis Rengifo’s field of play in this last bat, settlement instead, for a night of three hits, including a 447-foot run to three runs on the right and four RBIs. His performance was part of a team effort reducing the magic number to win the Central American League to seven for the White Sox (83-61).
“It’s definitely important for the squad,” said Tim Anderson of White Sox Sheets Championship. “Just to see what he has done since he came here, and continued to learn and improve. So hopefully he can continue to build that and continue to be that kind of thing for us. “
Anderson returned to action for the first time since Aug. 28 after being sidelined by a strain on his left hamstring. It ended in success. All of the White Sox starting players reached base at least once and all of the White Sox starters, but José Abreu had at least one hit. Abreu coincided with a maximum of his career with three runs.
Still, even with the decisive end result, there were some moments of fear for the White Sox. In the third inning, with Lucas Giolito at the mound for his first start of September after leaving the injured list for ten days on Tuesday, left-back Eloy Jiménez ran and jumped left David Fletcher’s offer for a home run.
Jiménez was harmed in the spring on a run to the feet of Spring Training. So when Jiménez lay on the ground a few moments after grabbing and hitting the wall, there was a moment of worry. It turned out to be nothing more than a bit of theatricality from the ever-entertaining Jiménez, who threw a peace signal at the White Sox ’dragged bullpen as he stood on his back after planting his face.
“It simply came to our notice then. That ball was smoked, “said Giolito. “Whenever they steal a home run, it’s always a big celebration. It was a hell of a play. I really don’t have too many words for that. It was just a sick play.
“Eloy has been proving that he deserves this left-back spot. I know he realizes it. For him it is important to show that he is a great champion of the left league, and this is a good example right here ”.
La Russa was asked if she held her breath while Jiménez was on the floor and quickly said how “holding her breath” would be the loudest way to describe how she felt.
“I told him he would put his back to the wall from now on. When he retires, he will only hit his head, ”said La Russa. “And he will play everything in front of him. He thinks I’m kidding. I said, “Am I kidding?” Because that was so scary. We will play it more thoroughly. And if some taps fall, they fall. But it will not fall. “
The moment no. 2 came to the head of a fifth two-run race, when Luis Robert pulled a 96.6 mph Oliver Ortega fast ball from the back of the helmet. It was rather a look thanks to the quick maneuvers of Robert, who stayed in the game. In the night, Robert scored, doubled and scored three runs.
Giolito allowed three runs in three hits in four innings and 87 pitches. He scored eight, raising the season total to 188, and recorded 18 changes and failures, per Statcast.
That win also pushed the White Sox into an Astros game to reach No. 2 in the playoffs and the first-round advantage at home, even though the Astros hold the tiebreaker.
“It’s important that we come out ready and prepared to play well, clean and ready to win every night,” Giolito said. “This has been practically our mentality throughout the year. But in this stretch of home, at the same time giving rest to the guys they need and stuff like that going into the postseason, but at the same time taking each game very seriously and playing to win every night. That is very important. “