The afternoon was a very, very long one for Chicago White Sox fans, who watched Thursday in guaranteed rate field as their favorites were atomized 21-5 by the Houston Astros.
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The four pitchers employed by manager Tony La Russa allowed between four and seven runs apiece, while the visitors swept their way by hitting 25 balls to be safe.
Starter Lucas Giolito (9-7) got off to a rocky start, allowing eight runs over three innings. Last assist, Josh Harrison, fared little better with four carries and six hits in a single inning.
Alex Bregman was the most inspired on the Astros side with six RBIs. He hit a two-run double in the third inning and two homers in the fifth and sixth tackle. Notably, Chas McCormick, also an author of Long Ball, added five points to the table.
Though not as productive as their two teammates, Kyle Tucker and Christian Vazquez also had fun hitting, with four hits each, adding three and two runs to the board for the winners, respectively.
On the mound, Luis Garcia (10-8) didn’t have too much trouble signing his 10th win of the season, despite allowing three runs with seven hits and four walks in five innings of work.
Orioles fails to complete comeback
In Baltimore, the Orioles tried to come back from a three-point deficit, but failed, eventually surrendering to the Chicago Cubs, 3-2.
The visitors took a 3-0 lead thanks to two long solo balls from Willson Contreras in the sixth and eighth innings, respectively, and another from Rafael Ortega in the eighth.
In their eighth round at bat, the Orioles reduced the deficit to just one run on Ryan Mountcastle’s single and Anthony Santander’s sacrificial fly. They then had a runner – the tie run – on third base and only one out from the visitors, but they never equalized the game.
Bryan Reynolds is handling the Red Sox case
In Pittsburgh, Bryan Reynolds showed no mercy against the Boston Red Sox and helped the Pirates win 8-2.
The fielder finished his game with three hits, including two two-barrel home runs, for a total of four RBIs.
On the crowd-pleaser mound, JT Brubaker (3-10) isn’t having a great season, but he was masterful against the Massachusetts squad, preventing his rivals from crossing the plate once rather than giving them two-shot safety. He was eventually retired after putting seven opponents in the glove in as many innings of work.