Dodging Bullets

The White Sox spent all of yesterday dodging bullets in Cleveland as they rallied to beat the Guardians 4-3 and take a 2-0 lead in the ALDS. I only wish those bullets hadn’t been the result of friendly fire. Starting with the choice of Anthony Kay as opener. The only thing the veteran righthander looked capable of opening was a big inning for the opposition with a single, a walk and a groundout that moved runners up. Kay departed after three batters for whizzing bullet #2, Sean Newcomb. The lefty reliever issued an intentional walk to set up a potential inning-ending double play. Lefthanded-hitting Nathaniel Lowe obliged, sort of, chopping a ball off the plate that Newcomb fielded. There was no way to turn two, but Newcomb still had the out at first. Well, he would have but for throwing the ball into a zip code not inhabited by first baseman Munetaka Murakami. That put Cleveland ahead by two. Good thing for the Sox that the Guardians managed to shoot themselves in the foot during the three-run sixth inning. Kudos to Braden Montgomery for his two-out, two-run, opposite-field double that put the Sox ahead 3-2 and brought Chase Meidtroh to the plate. Meidroth delivered with an RBI single. Here’s the thing. Anyone who’s been paying attention this season—which, apparently, the Guardians’ advance scouts failed to do—knows Meidroth likes to hit outside pitches to the opposite field, which is exactly what he did in this instance. It didn’t matter that the pitch was a 97 mph fastball out of the zone or that reliever Hunter Gaddis had a righty-righty advantage. Meidroth delivered. Now for bullet #3 fired out of the Sox dugout, in the form of manager Vibe Venable’s decision to lift Sean Burke with two out in the eighth and a runner on first. In came Grant Taylor, and out went a first-pitch triple by Jo Adell (say that a few time to get the full affect). First, Burke had retired thirteen straight Guardians before a single by Chase DeLauter. Second, Burke had struck out Adell twice in two previous at-bats. Third, Taylor and the Sox were lucky Adell’s ball didn’t leave the park. But luck plays a big part in postseason baseball. And the lucky Sox have a chance to clinch at home tomorrow, friendly fire notwithstanding.