Max Muncy announced his return to the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup with authority, helping them overcome a deficit in an 11-9 win against the Chicago White Sox to take the rubber match of the series at Guaranteed Rat Field.
Dylan Cease held the Dodgers scoreless through four innings as the White Sox took a 4-0 lead, but then ran into trouble in the fifth and was curiously left in the game despite getting hit around.
The Dodgers’ threat began on a Cody Bellinger base hit and Gavin Lux walk that put two on with one out in the first inning. An error on Jake Burger loaded the bases, though Cease nearly escaped the jam by striking out Mookie Betts.
Freddie Freeman continued his bounce-back effort from going hitless on Wednesday night by pulling a two-run double to right field. Trea Turner followed that by beating out a grounder for an RBI single and he moved into scoring position by stealing second base.
Muncy then gave the Dodgers a lead by driving a two-run double to center field. Cease’s 45th pitch of the inning walked Will Smith and finally marked enough for White Sox manager Tony La Russa to bring the hook.
Matt Foster uncorked a wild pitch to bring in the Dodgers’ sixth run before he could get through the inning. L.A. added onto their lead in the sixth when Freeman’s third hit of the game scored Gavin Lux.
Then despite Turner being down 1-2 in the count, the White Sox elected for an intentional walk to set up a left-on-left matchup for Bennett Sousa.
That decision backfired as Muncy lined a three-run home run to left field. Muncy appeared to take exception to the intentional walk as he shouted expletives after crossing home plate. Wednesday marked Muncy’s first game this season with multiple extra-base hits.
Lux added an RBI double in the ninth, giving him a first career four-hit game.
Alex Vesia allowed two runs in the eighth inning and the White Sox scored two more on Daniel Hudson in the ninth before he managed to finish the game out.
Dodgers pick up Tyler Anderson
In somewhat of a reversal from recent weeks, it was the Dodgers lineup picking up Tyler Anderson.
Josh Harrison’s tricky-hop triple in the third inning led to the White Sox taking a 1-0 lead, and Anderson failed to retire any of the four batters faced in the fourth. He ultimately was charged for four runs over three-plus innings.
While Anderson didn’t factor into the decision, his scoreless streak was snapped at 28 consecutive innings.
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