CHICAGO – Mother nature was kind to the White Sox and their fans in the first game of their series, but certainly not the final two.
After a pleasant day on Tuesday, showers blanketed Guaranteed Rate Field for their entire game with the Mariners on Wednesday. Skies were as bright as they can be on Thursday, but heavy wind gusts made this April day feel quite wintry.
Unfortunately for the home team and fans, that combination wouldn’t work out so well on a tough day for fielders on the south side.
Seattle hitters were able to cut through the wind for their most productive game at the bat in the series while the White Sox hitters were stymied all afternoon. The Mariners knocked three homers into the stands in a 5-1 victory that prevents the home team from earning their first sweep of the 2022 season.
It’s not all bad for the White Sox, who won the first two games to capture their second consecutive series to open up the new year and are at 4-2 on the season.
The team only was only able to manage four hits and only a wind-aided pop-up infield single by Jake Burger in the fifth inning allowed the White Sox to get on the board. Five Seattle pitchers, including starter Logan Gilbert, wouldn’t only surrender that one on the afternoon.
Burger’s RBI came after Jarred Kelenic got the Mariners on the board with a two-run home run off starter Jimmy Lambert, who went three innings in a quick start. Tanner Banks had two shutout innings out of the bullpen while Matt Foster had 1 1/3 of the same until he was pulled with one out in the seventh inning.
Bennett Sousa entered and served up a solo homer to Cal Raleigh in his first hitter as Seattle built a two-run lead. He was still pitching at the top of the eighth when he walked Jesse Winker and was pulled for Jose Ruiz, who gave up a two-run homer to Mitch Haniger right after.