Still undefeated!!! The Sox are a solid 2-0, with a total of 19-3. Can we call this a season now?
The A’s decided not to play any major league regulars in their Cactus League opener and the White Sox took advantage, scoring five runs in the first three innings, mostly thanks to the excellent direction of Edgar Quero. He found the bases loaded in the first, thanks to a Chase Meidroth double and two walks, and hit a short looper to left:
Advertisement
It was good for two runs, then he got to the third with runners on second and third and decided that if one blooper was good, two was even better:
Hence, four RBIs on two bloops that barely reached 83 mph but, as coaches teach kids, you put the ball in play and good things can happen. Quero had a solid hit, a 98 mph double, but it was with the bases empty. He also threw out a would-be stealer and correctly challenged a ball-strike call. OK, so he may have misplayed a throw that led to point A, but let’s not quibble when he’s having a day like this.
The Sox’s only other run from a player likely to be in the majors this year came via Brooks Baldwin who showed off his mighty power in the second:
Advertisement
John Schriffen, brilliant as always, repeatedly called it Baldwin’s first homer of the spring; It was pretty inevitable, as it was Baldwin’s first at-bat this spring.
Luisangel Acuña struck out for his first time as a member of the White Sox, but then hit a double. There were no plays at center that could determine whether he can play there, the only one being a double against the wall that there was no way to get to.
Chicago’s other six runs came late, when Sox hitters who will play primarily in Double-A to start the season faced A’s pitchers who will have a chance to succeed in Single-A. The minor leaguers had half of the club’s 14 hits, with William Bergolla Jr. and Dru Baker hitting two each. The A’s also threw poor fielding and base running to keep the score evenly distributed.
On the pitching side, Chris Murphy was the first of seven Sox pitchers to exit the game with only two runs, only one earned, despite giving up 11 hits and four walks. This was undoubtedly helped by the complete lack of opposition in the major leagues and very little opposition in the higher minor leagues. Plus the aforementioned poor operating base.
Advertisement
The White Sox remain at Camelback Ranch tomorrow to host Milwaukee. This match will also be televised, giving fans the first chance to watch Munetaka Murakami. The first launch is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. Central Time.
