The White Sox wrapped up their three-game series against the Red Sox yesterday with a decisive 4-1 victory, following Boston's earlier 3-1 win.
Chicago's Luis Robert Jr. hit a home run for the second consecutive game, bringing his total for the season to 21, contributing to the team's achievement in securing their first series win after four previous attempts.
"If he hits pitches in the strike zone, he's going to do unbelievable damage, and that's what he's done the last few days," manager Pedro Grifol said regarding Robert.
"He's a really damn good player. And he's still 25 years old. He's still learning the game. There's no doubt in my mind this guy's an All-Star."
The Red Sox, on the other hand, will return home with a 3-4 overall record after starting the trip with a 2-0 record.
Inning highlights and missed opportunities
Things were promising for the Red Sox initially, with two players on base and no outs. Adam Duvall kicked off with a double, and a pitch hit Masataka Yoshida.
However, first baseman Bobby Dalbec and third baseman Christian Arroyo struck out. Kiké Hernandez managed to reach first with an infield single, loading the bases. The tables turned when Caleb Hamilton struck out looking.
In the third inning, Boston gained a 1-0 lead. This happened after back-to-back walks with one out, followed by a crucial RBI double by Duvall.
Yoshida hit a fly ball to shallow left field, and the Chicago team made a pitching change. They chose to replace left-handed pitcher Tanner Banks with right-handed pitcher Jesse Scholtens.
The Red Sox managed to get three baserunners after the third inning, with two hits among them. In the seventh inning, they had runners placed at the corners with two outs.
During the fifth inning, Andrew Benintendi hit a double that landed in the right-field corner, which allowed Gavin Sheets to score. However, the Red Sox had a chance to make a play at home plate.
Rob Refsnyder's throw went to first baseman Triston Casas, who then threw to second base. Benintendi smoothly reached third base, and Sheets managed to score without a throw being made.
Prior exits and returns
Red Sox pitcher James Paxton left the game after just four innings on Saturday. Manager Alex Cora pointed out that his exit was due to Paxton being "sore." Pitcher Josh Winckowski came in to replace Paxton.
Paxton departed from the game not long after his exit from Monday's match against the Twins in Minnesota.
"It flared up last time in Minnesota," the 34-year-old said. "Just wasn't quite back to where I needed to be today. So I think I'll be good going forward, though."
White Sox's Tim Anderson, normally a shortstop, made his first-ever start at second base in Friday night's game. He continued to play at second base in Saturday's match. Anderson had been out of the lineup for four games because of a right shoulder injury and was absent from the lineup once again on Sunday.
Notably, after being recalled from Triple-A Worcester on Friday, Dalbec returned to the starting lineup for the Boston team, marking his first start since April 13. In the third inning, however, his return to the field was cut short when Casas came in as a pinch hitter for him.