David Sandlin’s – David Sandlin struck out Byron Buxton early in his second start, but the White Sox rookie right-hander walked Luke Keaschall and allowed a grand slam to Tristan Gray before surrendering another burst of hits in the fifth. Miguel Vargas powered Chicago at the p
MINNEAPOLIS — David Sandlin’s second major-league start began in sharp contrast to his first.
On Monday, the White Sox rookie right-hander struck out Twins star Byron Buxton swinging. Last week, Buxton had opened Sandlin’s debut with a leadoff home run.
This time. Sandlin made it through the early parts of the order better than he had at Rate Field. where he previously retired the next 18 batters after that opening blemish. But at Target Field, the rhythm didn’t hold. Three of the next four batters singled, and the Sox trailed. Sandlin got himself together in the second and third, then unraveled in the fourth.
With two outs in the fourth, Sandlin walked No. 8 hitter Luke Keaschall to load the bases. Then No. 9 hitter Tristan Gray delivered a grand slam.
In the fifth, Sandlin allowed the first three batters to reach, ending his day and the Sox’ winning streak. Minnesota stopped Chicago’s run at five games with a 9-6 victory.
Sandlin didn’t try to dress it up afterward. “Just didn’t execute,” he said. “Wasn’t in the zone with really any of the pitches, didn’t get ahead, faltered there at the end. Like last week showed, when you’re in the zone, good things happen. Bad things happen when you’re not attacking hitters and forcing their hands.”.
Manager Will Venable pointed to the way the game got away from him. “The walks there put him in a tough spot,” Venable said. “There was a lot of traffic that he wasn’t able to work through. He got beat on some pitches in the zone and then wasn’t around the zone on some of the at-bats.”
Sandlin. who never pitched out of the stretch in his debut. said he didn’t think changing that in his second start was the deciding factor. “That’s what we focused on this week,” he said. “Just gotta keep working on holding runners. I think the game sped up on me a little bit there. [I need to] calm myself down, just get back after it. It’s a learning experience.”.
Even in the loss, Miguel Vargas was the offense’s bright spot for the White Sox. Vargas went 3-for-5 with a double, two homers, and four RBI. His 15 home runs tie him with Colson Montgomery for second on the team behind Munteaka Murakami.
The sequence of the game swung in the same place the Sox had trouble controlling earlier: baserunners. Sandlin’s fourth-inning walk loaded the bases. and once the Twins had traffic on the bases. the damage came quickly with Tristan Gray’s grand slam. Then in the fifth. another early reaching of batters ended the outing before the Sox could turn it back their way.
After the game, Chicago’s health picture remained front and center in the notes.
First baseman Munetaka Murakami received a platelet-rich plasma injection in his injured right hamstring Monday in Chicago. The treatment is meant to stimulate tissue repair. He will rest for a couple of days, and then the Sox will ramp up his treatment later this week.
Outfielder Austin Hays, another hitter with pop whom the Sox are missing, returned to Chicago from his injury rehab assignment at Triple-A Charlotte because of soreness in his left calf that he hasn’t been able to shake. He was being evaluated and undergoing testing.
Catcher Kyle Teel, who is out with a strained right hamstring, is on the trip and did catching drills Monday. He has yet to resume hitting.
The White Sox now have to reset after a five-game run ended in Minnesota, with Sandlin left to sort through what went right early—and what slipped away after Buxton was retired.
White Sox David Sandlin Twins Byron Buxton Tristan Gray Luke Keaschall Miguel Vargas Will Venable Target Field win streak