The Chicago White Sox can win a series for the first time since early August when they face the Red Sox on Sunday in Boston for the rubber match of a three-game series.
Boston opened the series with a 3-2 victory on Friday night, but a ninth-inning home run from Luis Robert Jr. delivered Chicago a 1-0 win in the rain on Saturday. It was Robert’s 38th home run of the season, 27 of which were solo homers.
Robert’s blast was hit just inside the right field foul pole at Fenway Park, which is 302 feet from home plate. It landed in the first row of seats and was measured at 311 feet.
“It was hilarious because he’s got (38) home runs and all that, and then he hits one 311,” said Chicago right-hander Dylan Cease, who struck out 11 in seven scoreless innings on Saturday. “Baseball is funny like that sometimes.”
Chicago manager Pedro Grifol said postgame of Fenway Park, “It’s gotten us a few times, but today it helped us. This is a really nice place to play, and it’s got so many different things going on in the ballpark that it’s really cool. And that’s one of them today. Today, it helped us.”
The White Sox (59-96) last won a series when they took two out of three from the New York Yankees from Aug. 7-9. They are 0-10-2 in series since then. Chicago will have to win at least four of its seven remaining games to avoid a 100-loss season.
Boston (76-79) is 2-7 in its last nine games, but following the latest loss, manager Alex Cora said he still likes the fight he is seeing in his team, especially the emotion starting pitcher Nick Pivetta showed on the mound Saturday. Pivetta tossed seven scoreless innings and held the White Sox to three hits.
“A hundred percent,” Cora said. “Go ahead, man. That’s what it’s all about. We owe it to the people, right? You gotta keep playing hard and we don’t mind (the emotion).
“I’m excited about him because I think finally he’s put it together.”
Right-hander Mike Clevinger (8-8, 3.42 ERA) is scheduled to be Chicago’s starting pitcher on Sunday. Clevinger is 0-1 with a 7.94 ERA in four career starts (17 innings) against the Red Sox.
Clevinger pitched the third complete game of his career when Chicago beat the Washington Nationals 6-1 on Monday. He had a shutout until Dominic Smith hit a home run with two outs in the ninth inning.
He will be opposed by right-hander Kutter Crawford (6-7, 4.19 ERA). Crawford lost the only time he has faced the White Sox, on June 25 in Chicago. He allowed four runs on five hits in six innings when Chicago beat Boston 4-1. He struck out four and walked one. Two of the five hits he gave up were home runs by Robert.
Crawford allowed two runs on four hits in six innings during Boston’s 4-2 victory at Texas on Monday, though he got a no-decision. He fanned seven without issuing a walk.
–Field Level Media