Dodgers 6, White Sox 4: A game of balks

Mar 19, 2023 - 12:47 AM

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There were only two balks in today’s game, but let’s be honest, that is two too many.

The White Sox lost today against the Dodgers, 6-4.

Michael Kopech, who was originally scheduled to go four innings, only ended up pitching 2 1⁄3 innings. He was taken out of the game in the third inning after a leadoff walk to Freddie Freeman. Kopech reentered the game in the top of the fourth and left again after one out. The righthander finished the day giving up one run, walking two, and striking out three.

The single run Kopech gave up occurred in the top of the first, when Freeman and Trayce Thompson both hit one-out singles, with Freeman scoring on a single by Chris Taylor.

Andrew Benintendi responded in the bottom of the first inning with a home run to right field, his first of Spring Training. Adam Haseley followed the long ball with a single and, after stealing second, came around to score on a Jake Burger single to center field.

The score remained 2-1, White Sox until the top of the fifth inning, when Jason Heyward scored ... on a balk. The White Sox answered in the bottom of the inning with two runs. Moisés Castillo scored on a Haseley ground out. Billy Hamilton, who came in as a pinch-runner for Benintendi, scored on a Gavin Sheets sacrifice fly.

The Dodgers would not trail for long, as they answered with two runs in the top of the sixth. Miguel Rojas reached on a walk to start the inning and Luke Williams, who came in to pinch-run for Rojas, scored after a bunt single from Drew Avans. Yonny Hernandez came around to score the tying run on a Ryan Ward ground out.

The go-ahead runs, and final runs of the game, came on a Taylor two-run shot in the top of the seventh:

Do Spring Training games matter? No. Did the relief pitching look rough this afternoon? Yes.