White Sox Sink Indians 10-7: Hayes Goes Grand, Game Notes and Scouting Takeaways
By Joe Piazza
White Sox Pitching
White Sox pitchers gave up seven earned runs and 12 hits, but every one of those runs can be attributed to relievers Zack Burdi and Michael Ynoa. Starter Dylan Covey only lasted 3.2 innings, but they were scoreless innings. He collected three strikeouts and walked one batter, needing a reasonable 44 pitches to do so. Following the news that Carlos Rodon may not be ready to start the season, this was an important start for Covey. Luckily, he took full advantage of a great opportunity to earn a rotation spot.
Relievers
Zack Burdi came in to finish the fourth inning, but shouldn’t have gone back out for the fifth. That Indians rally I mentioned on the last slide came off of Burdi. A Robert Perez double, a Michael Martinez triple, a Santana home run and a pair of singles (along with one walk) gave the Indians a 4-3 lead. Burdi was pulled before the fourth run of the inning scored, but was nonetheless responsible for him. Lefty Aaron Bummer was called upon to clean up the mess, but allowed an RBI single to Edwin Encarnacion before getting out of the inning.
Going into the sixth inning with a 4-0 lead, the White Sox gave the ball to Michael Ynoa. He pitched a clean sixth, but like Burdi, should not have went out for another inning. He surrendered three runs in the seventh, recording just one out before getting pulled. Manager Robin Ventura went with Gregory Infante, who finished the game for Chicago. Infante pitched the final 2.2 innings for the White Sox, giving up just one hit. It’s doubtful he will get much playing time for the major league squad in 2017, but Gregory Infante was undoubtedly the most effective reliever for Chicago in this game.