The Chicago White Sox have regrouped from an eight-game losing streak by earning their first series victory of the season. They hope to keep channeling that resolve Sunday as they pursue a three-game sweep of the visiting Boston Red Sox.
“It’s never give up, never give in and always fight,” Chicago’s Brooks Baldwin said. “It’s all around us in the clubhouse, and it’s awesome.”
Baldwin delivered a pinch-hit, walk-off single against Aroldis Chapman to lift the White Sox to a 3-2 win over Boston on Saturday. That followed an 11-1 romp over the Red Sox on Friday night.
“Just a little bit of momentum going into the rest of the season is going to be awesome for us,” Baldwin said.
Boston has lost five of six, scoring just 11 runs over that span.
“At the end of the day, we have to start hitting,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “We know that.”
Cora added that although Saturday was an improvement, the team still is “chasing a lot.”
Boston looks to salvage a game in the series behind left-hander Garrett Crochet, who faces his former club for the first time.
Although a December trade from Chicago to Boston prompted Crochet to switch his “Sox” from white to red, little has changed about his approach.
“I’m chasing greatness every time I touch the mound. Everybody is,” Crochet said. “I want to throw a complete-game no-hitter. And then as soon as the first hit’s given up, I’m like, ‘All right, let’s move on.’ But it’s just seeing how many zeros I can put up every time I go out there.”
Crochet (1-1, 1.45 ERA) has pitched effectively in his first three starts with the Red Sox, collecting 17 strikeouts in 18 2/3 innings.
Drafted 11th overall by the White Sox in 2020, Crochet was an All-Star with Chicago last season. The offseason trade sent four Boston prospects to Chicago, including second baseman Chase Meidroth, who scored two runs in his major league debut Friday to help spark the White Sox in their rout.
Meidroth is 2-for-4 with three walks in his first two games.
White Sox rookie right-hander Shane Smith (0-0, 1.54) eyes his first major league victory Sunday. Smith is coming off a no-decision vs. Cleveland on Tuesday, when he retired the first 12 Guardians en route to six scoreless innings of two-hit ball with one walk and six strikeouts.
Smith shined behind his off-speed arsenal, namely his changeup.
“It was nasty,” Chicago manager Will Venable said. “He was mixing it up and did a really good job.”
According to stats from Codify, Smith is the first White Sox pitcher to work at least 11 2/3 innings and allow no more than four total bases in his first two appearances since Shovel Hodge accomplished the feat in 1920.
