It is never easy for this year’s Tampa Bay Rays team. For much of the game it looked like the story would be Blake Snell and Joey Wendle. That changed in the 9th inning. Tampa Bay led virtually the whole game, but were able to get a bit of insurance with a Daniel Robertson RBI single to make it a 5-run lead in the top half of the final inning. A 2-out, 3-run home run in the White Sox half cut the lead to just a single run. That insurance run was vital as Colome composed himself enough to get the final out of the 6-5 victory.
While Snell and Wendle were solid, Carson Fulmer and the White Sox defense was not. Fulmer was wild and there were multiple miscues in the field. 3 out of the 4 runs Fulmer allowed in his 4 and 2/3 innings of work were earned. His 6 walks and multiple wild pitches did not help. On Wendle’s single that got the 1st 2 runs of the game across the plate there was an error in the outfield that led to the 2nd run scoring. It could have been a lot worse for Chicago too. Tampa Bay left multiple runners in scoring position and had left 9 runners on base through the 1st six innings.
Blake Snell was extremely solid, rebounding from his rough last outing in New York. Blake only allowed 1 hit on a ground rule double in the 5th inning. That double did come back to bite him as a leadoff walk in that inning led to Chicago getting their 1st run of the game while the Rays were leading 4-0. Carlos Gomez picked his pitcher right back up in the top half of the 6th. The slugger hit his 2nd homerun of the year to make it 5-1 and get that run right back.
Snell struggled to get the final out of the 6th, but he ended his day on a high note. After 2 walks in the inning, he got his 10th strike out for the final out on his 114th pitch. Blake allowed just that 1 run and 1 hit through those 6 innings of work.
Kittredge and Andriese both pitched an inning each in relief of Snell. The White Sox tried to rally, but left runners on the corners to end the 7th and couldn’t take advantage of a leadoff double in the 8th. A Daniel Robertson added some insurance with an RBI single in the top of the 9th, but things still got dicey. Alex Colome ultimately had to come in to salvage the victory after Ryan Weber struggled, only getting 1 out. Colome then struggled himself. He allowed a 3-run homerun, but composed himself enough to get the final out in the 6-5 victory.