The Tampa Bay Rays struggled to keep up with the Chicago White Sox on Friday night. Ultimately, the Rays four-game winning streak came to an end as they lost 7-5 in 11 innings.
Chicago’s Pesky Offense
The White Sox, who came into Friday’s game well ahead of any challenger in their division, played hard and aggressive in a close extra-inning win. Chicago ran hard on the base-paths and brought home several runs on close plays at the plate.
Tim Anderson had a magnificent game. TA had a game-tying homer in the ninth and a tiebreaking RBI single in the 11th. Anderson would finish the night 3-for-6 with two RBI’s.
“What he did tonight was all you need to know about the champion he is and should be at some point, hopefully soon,” White Sox manager Tony La Russa said after the game.
Rays Struggles
The Rays, despite throwing out a runner at home, played sloppy defensively. Simply, Tampa Bay was unable to keep up with the speed of Chicago’s fast-paced offense by making three errors.
Offensively, the Rays were able to score two runs on three hits against All-Star pitcher Lucas Giolito. Giolito finished with eight strikeouts in seven innings. Ji-Man Choi hit a two-out homer in the second inning.
Michael Wacha, who started for Tampa Bay on Friday night, allowed four runs (two earned), nine hits and struck out a season-high nine in five innings.
Other Notes
- Seven of the first 12 White Sox batters had hits off Wacha.
- The Rays lead the majors with 242 runs in the seventh inning or later.
- Tampa Bay is 5-11 in extra innings.
Up Next
Chicago’s Dallas Keuchel (8-6) will take the mound against Tampa Bay’s Luis Patiño (2-3) on Saturday at 1:10 PM EST.