By Zachary McMahon –
The Boston Red Sox played the Chicago White Sox to play the series opener on Thursday night. The Red Sox split the two-game series against the Atlanta Braves while the White Sox came in as losers of 13 straight games.
Tyler O’Neil was the designated hitter for the Red Sox, and Rob Refsnyder patrolled right field. Jarren Duran lead off the game with a home run to right off White Sox starting pitcher Jake Woodford as the Sox got onto an early lead, and they would only pound the scoreboard from there.
In the second, Ceddane Rafaela would hit a two-run single that scored Connor Wong and David Hamliton home. In the fourth, Enmanuel Valdez hit a three-run homer, and Wong batted in one more run to make it 7-0.
It was another four-run inning off three RBI singles from Dominic Smith, Wong, Rafaela, and a sacrifice fly by Duran as it would be 11-0. The White Sox were able to break the shutout with an RBI double by leadoff hitter Zach DeLoach as it would be 11-1.
Jaime Westbrook would come in to pinch hit for O’Neil, and hit his first major league home run after 11 years in the minor leagues. Westbrook has started his career with a four-game on base streak as he got his first career hit in Wednesday’s game against the Braves.
Rafaela and Smith would each bring in one more run, and Andrew Vaughn hit a solo homer, as the Red Sox would blow out the White Sox 14-2.
The Red Sox racked up 24 hits which is a season-high for the team, surpassing a mark of 21 hits in the 17-0 shutout against the Chicago Cubs on April 27. It is their second game this season with 20+ hits, which is the same mark that they had last season.
Tanner Houck pitched seven solid innings, as he would allow the two runs in three hits and no walks. He struck out nine batters in the start, which started when he struck out DeLoach to lead off the game.
Vaughn’s home run broke Houck’s streak of 66.1 consecutive innings where he
did not allow a home run. Cam Booser would finish things out as he pitched the first two innings only allowing one run.
Meanwhile, Woodford did not pitch past the fifth inning, as he allowed seven earned runs on 10 hits and three walks, where he would be replaced by Tim Hill. Third baseman Danny Mendick pitched for the White Sox in the ninth inning, as he would be the only Chicago pitcher to not allow at least one run in the game.
Mendick only allowed two hits as a position player in the pitcher’s mound. Rafaela and Duran both lead the Red Sox with four hits each, and Rafaela would have four RBIs, as he brought runners home each time he hit.
Refsnyder hit two doubles in the game as two of his three hits, and Hamliton would hit a double as one of his two hits on the night.
The teams will be playing the second game of the series on Friday at 8:10 p.m. ET as it will be Cooper Criswell going up against Garrett Crochet.