White Sox Scorch Graham Ashcraft To Take Series From Reds

Graham Ashcraft was the Reds' best performing starter coming into the rubber game of the three-game series against the Chicago White Sox. 

The Sox socked the Reds's second year starter, owner of a 2-0 record with an even 2.00 ERA.  Chicago collected eight hits, including two home runs in an 11-run second inning against Ashcraft and Casey Legumina to breeze to a 17`-4 win.

Luis Robert Jr. walked to start the second inning after Ashcraft quickly disposed of the top of the White Sox order.  Hanser Alberto homered.  Yasmani Grandal singled.  One out later Elvis Andrus singled.  Tim Anderson walked with two outs to load the bases.  Andrew Benintendi out of Madeira High School singled home two runs.  Andrew Vaughn tripled to the right field corner for two more runs. Roberts singled to plate Vaughn.

"The home run was a 96-mile an hour jam shot that pissed my off.  But that's no excuse," Ashcraft said.  "That's when you have to  get into the mental part of the game.  I didn't want to come out. I love our bullpen and wanted to give them as much as a day off as I could.  I didn't want to do that to them.

Lugumina came into the game to stop the bleeding.  He did not.

Alberto walked. Grandal stroked his second single of the inning.  Gavin Sheets blasted his third home run of the season on a 3-0 pitch to cap the inning just short of a dozen.

"There is nothing fun about games like that but it's just one game.," David Bell said.  "Even in the second inning Graham got to two strikes and couldn't put them away."

The inning erased the Reds fast start on offense.

Jonathan India homered on the second pitch from Michael Kopech.  It was his third home run of the season and ninth career home run, leading off a game.  He is tied with Barry Larkin, who also led off nine games with home runs.  They are behind Kal Daniels, who hit 10 and Pete Rose who hit 18 of them.

The White Sox turned Spencer Steer's two-out error on a slow ground ball by Benintendi into a three-run inning.  Vaughn, Robert and Alberto hit consecutive doubles to hang unearned runs onto Legumina's record.

Kopech took the 14-run support and completed a streak of eight straight retired batters but Steer hit his team-leading fourth homer of the season and Tyler Stephenson reached the first row of the right field seats for his first of the season in back-to-back at bats off Kopech.

Wil Myers hit the Reds' fourth solo home run of the game.  It was Myers' third of the year, in his second game back from Covid.

Alberto had a home run, two doubles and a single to drive in a career-high four runs. Roberts Jr. was on base four times and scored four runs. Benintendi had two hits and scored three runs.  Vaughn tripled, doubled and drove in four runs.

India has a five-game hitting streak with three multi hit games.  He was 3-for-3 on Saturday and had a home run and double today before leaving after five innings.  Steer had three hits, a home run, double and single.

Catcher Seby Zavila was the only White Sox starter without a hit.  He was 0-for-5 but was robbed of a home run by Wil Myers, who leaped above the right field fence in the sixth inning.  Zavala also lined out to shortstop in his last at bat.