ANAHEIM, Calif. — With 10 strikeouts in six-plus innings against the Angels on Monday night, Dylan Cease singlehandedly extended the White Sox’ streak of 10-strikeout games to nine, the longest active streak in the majors.
But it was a small consolation in a 2-1 walkoff victory for the Angels, who scored the winning run on Aaron Bummer’s wild pitch with one out in the ninth.
Cease struck out Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani back-to-back in the first and sixth innings and finished having allowed five hits and one run — Ohtani’s 446-foot homer in the third. He had 10 and nine strikeouts in his previous two starts against the Dodgers and Rangers and entered Monday with a 3.00 ERA over his last eight outings.
The Sox managed three hits, including Luis Robert Jr.’s fourth homer in three games and his 22nd of the season against lefty Reid Detmers in the first. The Sox struck out 12 times.
“That ninth inning gets magnified, but one run is not going to cut it,” manager Pedro Grifol said. “That’s just the way it is in this league.”
Too close for comfort
Bummer has been far from the shutdown lefty the Sox need in the bullpen, but he had looked the part a day earlier Sunday in a 4-1 win over the Red Sox, retiring all four batters he faced, including Rafael Devers on a fly out with two runners on to end the seventh. He then pitched a perfect eighth against the Red Sox’ 4-5-6 batters.
But when he entered in the ninth in a 1-1 game Monday, after Reynaldo Lopez (2-5) had walked Trout leading off the inning, Bummer walked Ohtani. After a double steal, he struck out Brandon Drury before his wild pitch allowed Trout to score.
Bummer’s slider and sinker are tough to handle, but he has found it tough to command those pitches, which in large part explains his 6.66 ERA in his first 32 games.
“Most of the time, I’m fighting a battle against myself,” he said before the game. “That’s the way it’s been my entire career. I know that if I make my pitches and execute and stay in positive counts, I’m going to be successful. Too many times, I’ve fallen into bad counts, not executed pitches, and sometimes you get whacked for it.”
Grandal OK after getting rattled
Yasmani Grandal, who took a foul ball off his mask Sunday and passed all concussion protocols, didn’t start Monday, instead entering in the eighth. Just in case, Triple-A catcher Carlos Perez was with the team.
Catching Cease was Seby Zavala, who had caught four of 19 runners attempting to steal second, compared with six of 46 for Grandal. Pitchers have much to do with shutting down the running game, and “we’re not very good at it right now,” Grifol said.
“As far as throwing guys out, we’re more focused on eliminating attempts, and we’re OK at that, not great,” Grifol said. “We’re more focused on it, but at the same time, we have a lot of room to get better.”
This and that
Infield prospect Jose Rodriguez was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte and outfielder Adam Haseley recalled from Charlotte.
• After playing second base Friday and Saturday and sitting Sunday, Tim Anderson returned to shortstop for the first time in 10 days while nursing a sore right shoulder.
• Right-hander Jonathan Cannon will represent the Sox at the 2023 All-Star Futures Game in Seattle. He’s 5-1 with a 3.27 ERA in 12 starts for High-A Winston-Salem.
