The Chicago White Sox were ready to turn the page soon after Monday’s “brutal” loss to the Cleveland Guardians.
“Once it was over, it was over,” shortstop Tim Anderson said before Tuesday’s game at Guaranteed Rate Field.
The Sox bounced back, beating the Guardians 4-1 in front of 16,025.
“Last night was a heartbreaker,” Sox starter Lucas Giolito said. “It was tough, but we’re in a spot where we can self-evaluate very well. We didn’t have to say anything, we didn’t have to have a meeting. We didn’t have to have anything after that game.
“We knew coming in today what we needed to improve, what we needed to do: Be ready to play hard for nine innings, and that’s what we did.”
Anderson had three hits and two RBIs, Gavin Sheets hit a two-run home run and Giolito pitched seven strong innings as the Sox won for the seventh time in eight games.
The only loss during the stretch came Monday, when the Guardians scored six runs in the ninth to tie the game on the way to a stunning 12-9 victory in 11 innings. Afterward manager Tony La Russa described the defeat as “brutal.”
Tuesday represented a new day and a different result.
“A lot of guys were hurt when it was over (Monday),” La Russa said. “Coaches, manager, everybody. But you’ve got to wipe it clean. That saying is true, you know: The worst you can do is lose today because you’re still moping about yesterday.
“So clean the slate and guys were ready to play. The clubhouse was really good before the game. It was a very tight game. We just found a way to break through.”
After committing four errors Monday, the Sox didn’t have any Tuesday.
“I tip the cap to all the guys behind me today,” Giolito said. “Defense was spectacular.”
The sharp defense included a quick-thinking 6-4-3 double play in the fourth. Owen Miller was on second with one out when Franmil Reyes hit a grounder to Anderson. He tossed the ball to second baseman Josh Harrison, who tagged Miller before he made it back to the base. Harrison then fired to first to complete the double play.
“I saw him kind of leak toward my way and I knew I had a shot to get him,” Anderson said. “It was just a matter of if the throw was good, and it was good and (Harrison) did the rest.”
Giolito called the double play “cool.”
“I had never seen anything like that before,” he said.
Harrison and Anderson teamed up for the game’s first run in the fifth. Harrison doubled with two outs against Guardians starter Cal Quantrill. Anderson followed with an RBI single.
“The biggest thing is really stay inside the baseball and it found a hole,” Anderson said.
Sheets homered for the second straight game, as his two-run blast in the sixth extended the lead to 3-0.
“The last week or so I’ve been in between pitches, missing a lot of fastballs I usually do damage on,” Sheets said. “Missing a couple of hanging sliders. I feel like I’ve kind of calmed down at the plate, gotten smoother a little bit, softened out and was able to catch a couple of breaking balls out in front and was under control.
“That’s the biggest thing. Feeling calm at the plate and not rushing, not feeling jerky, and so it’s good two nights.”
Josh Naylor, Monday’s hero for the Guardians, hit a solo home run against Giolito in the seventh. It was his third homer of the series after his game-tying grand slam in the ninth and his go-ahead three-run homer in the 11th Monday.
Naylor went 2 for 4 Tuesday, but overall Giolito limited the damage. He allowed one run on six hits with five strikeouts and a walk in seven innings.
“I could tell early I didn’t have the super zippy fastball,” Giolito said. “It wasn’t like my A-A stuff. It was important to sequence well. (Catcher Yasmani Grandal) did a fantastic job of making adjustments back there and kind of reading what the hitters are trying to do.
“A lot of quick innings, attacked with the heater and we were able to play my breaking balls and change-ups off of it. It ended up being good, getting a lot of contact and weak contact and getting outs and getting through innings.”
There was drama in the ninth as the Guardians brought the tying run to the plate with two outs. Andrés Giménez hit a grounder to first and initially was ruled safe as he tried to beat José Abreu to the bag. The call was reversed after a review, giving the Sox their first victory over the Guardians this season (1-4).
“A bit nerve-wracking but I think the right call was made there,” Giolito said. “It’s a good win for us.”
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