A fourth inning RBI single by Luis Robert provided the difference in Friday night, as the Chicago White Sox took a 4-3 win over the visiting Boston Red Sox in the opener of a three game series at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago, Illinois.
Jose Abreu opened the scoring in the third inning with a two out, line drive three-run homerun to left field off Boston starter Tanner Houck. Robert made it 4-0 with his run scoring single in the fourth. The Red Sox got one back in the fifth when Bobby Dalbec connected for a long solo homer to left, his 21st of the season. They would slice it to just that one run difference in the seventh when Dalbec led off with a triple and scored on an RBI groundout by Christian Vazquez. Danny Santana singled with one out, took second on a wild pitch, and scored on a single by Alex Verdugo. The White Sox (81-60) tried to add on in the eighth loading the bases with two outs, but Josh Taylor struck out Abreu to end the threat. Vazquez led off the ninth against closer Liam Hendricks with an infield single, but ended up being stranded at second base when Hendricks retired Santana, Verdugo, and Travis Shaw on two groundouts and a fly out to end the game.
Houck (0-4) took the loss on the hill allowing four runs (three earned) on four hits in 3.2 innings. The combination of Darwinzon Hernandez, Michael Feliz, Adam Ottavino, Ryan Brasier, and Taylor kept Boston (80-63) in the game allowing no runs on two hits the rest of the way. Xander Bogaerts, who returned from the COVID-19 IL, had two hits as did Dalbec and Vazquez. Carlos Rodon (12-5) picked up the pitching win for Chicago allowing one run on three hits with no walks and seven strikeouts in 7.0 innings. Hendricks got his 34th save. Game two of the weekend series is Saturday at 7:10 p.m. The Red Sox are calling up RHP Connor Seabold from Worcester to make his MLB debut on the mound, to be opposed by RHP Dylan Cease (11-7, 3.87 ERA) for the White Sox.
