Getting gritty in the Queen City as the White Sox grind out hard fought 4-2 victory over the Reds

Davis Martin was masterful as Chicago captures first road series win

It was a gritty road series victory for the White Sox tonight in Cincinnati as they clawed their way to a 4-2 win over the Reds! This marks their first road series win of the season and their third consecutive victory. They are now a respectable 7-6 in May. Yes, South Side fans, pinch yourself.

Andrew Vaughn got the scoring started in the second, driving in speedster Luis Robert Jr., who had led off the frame with a single and promptly swiped second base, giving him 17 on the season and the league lead. Do you think AV got the memo about Tim Elko’s promotion?

The Good Guys threatened to add more in the third, loading the bases with one out thanks to back-to-back singles by Chase Meidroth and Edgar Quero, and a Robert walk, but couldn’t cash in.

The defensive highlight of the night came in the bottom half of the frame and belonged to La Pantera. After Matt McLain singled, Robert made a spectacular grab in deep center field off the bat of Rece Hinds, a drive that would have been a home run in 24 out of 30 MLB ballparks.

The Pale Hose extended their lead in the fifth when Robert singled home Meidroth, who had walked to lead off the inning. However, the excitement was short-lived as De La Cruz caught Robert snoozing between first and second.

Do not fret, though, as Lenyn Sosa provided some much-needed insurance in the sixth, launching a solo bomb to put the White Sox up 3-0.

Michael A. Taylor joined the longball party in the seventh, leading off the inning with an oppo taco of his own, extending the lead to 4-0.

However, the Reds finally broke through in the bottom of the seventh against White Sox starter Davis Martin, who had been absolutely masterful through six innings and pitched deeper than he had all year. Spencer Steer led off with a solo homer, and then Jose Trevino followed with a single before skipper Will Venable went to the bullpen, bringing in Jordan Leasure, who promptly struck out Hinds to end the threat.

The drama continued in the eighth as the Reds rallied. Elly De La Cruz smashed a two-out double off reliever Brandon Eisert, followed by an Austin Hays two-bagger that plated De La Cruz, cutting the lead to 4-2. Venable quickly turned to Steven Wilson, who shut down the inning by getting Steer to fly out.

In the ninth, Brooks Baldwin led off with a double that narrowly missed being a round-tripper by inches. Taylor moved him to third with a sacrifice bunt, but unfortunately, the Sox couldn’t add any insurance. Mike Vasil came on to close it out in the bottom of the ninth, walking Will Benson with one out but ultimately securing the save on a nice play by Vargas and Vaughn.

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