Burger gets game-winning hit as White Sox beat Cubs 5-4
By JAY COHEN | AP Baseball Writer
CHICAGO (AP) — Jake Burger let in the first run with a costly error. He drove home the last one with a big swing.
Burger hit a game-ending RBI single in the 12th inning, and the banged-up Chicago White Sox topped the Chicago Cubs 5-4 on Sunday in a wild finale to the season series between the crosstown rivals.
Danny Mendick opened the White Sox 12th as the automatic runner, and he advanced on Andrew Vaughn's grounder to second against Robert Gsellman (0-2). Burger then pulled Gsellman's next pitch over a five-man infield for the winning hit.
“I just wanted to see something up, try and get something into the outfield,” Burger said. “Sure enough, it was the first pitch.”
Burger then threw his arms into the air as he ran around the infield, and the White Sox poured out of the dugout. Burger's seventh-inning error at third base brought home Rafael Ortega with the Cubs' first run.
“I was just glad I got the chance to redeem myself a little bit,” Burger said.
Matt Foster (1-0) got three outs for the win for a struggling White Sox team that lost shortstop Tim Anderson to a right groin strain in the fifth. Anderson got hurt while making a play on P.J. Higgins' grounder back up the middle.
“It’s definitely a groin issue,” White Sox manager Tony La Russa said. “The severity is going to depend on the further check, but he’s going on the IL for sure.”
The Cubs opened a 3-1 lead with two runs in the 10th on reliever Reynaldo López's throwing error and Christopher Morel's RBI single. Morel also robbed Burger of extra bases with a leaping grab in center with a runner on first in the eighth.
The White Sox responded with two runs in the bottom half of the 10th. Vaughn had a sacrifice fly and José Abreu tied it at 3 with an RBI single to center.
Rivas hit a sacrifice fly in the 11th for the Cubs, but Engel tied it again with an RBI single.
“Neither team could really close it out there,” Cubs manager David Ross said. “Back and forth and guys from two teams really fighting it out trying to make something happen.”
The Cubs wasted a terrific start by Marcus Stroman, who pitched seven innings of three-hit ball. The right-hander threw 62 of his 90 pitches for strikes, finishing with a 2-1 record and a 1.50 ERA in four May starts.
Stroman helped himself with a pair of solid defensive plays. First, he snared Vaughn’s comebacker in the fourth and threw him out at first. Then he jumped on Mendick’s sacrifice attempt and cut down Harrison at third for the first out of the sixth.
“If it's not a perfect bunt, I usually feel like I have an opportunity to get the guy at third,” Stroman said. “I kind of peeked real quick while I was running over there and I knew I had a chance.”
The White Sox trailed 1-0 before pinch-runner AJ Pollock scored on David Robertson's wild pitch in the ninth. With two out and a runner on third, Josh Harrison bounced out to Nico Hoerner at shortstop.
The unearned run that scored on Burger's error was the only blemish on Dylan Cease's line. The right-hander allowed two hits, struck out five and walked four.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Cubs: LHP Wade Miley was placed on the 15-day injured list with a left shoulder strain. RHP Mark Leiter Jr. was recalled from Triple-A Iowa. ... OF Seiya Suzuki (sprained left ring finger) missed his second straight game. He played catch on the field, and Ross said Suzuki also planned to hit in the cage. ... LHP Sean Newcomb (ankle) is slated to make a third rehab appearance with Iowa on Tuesday, and RHP Alec Mills (right quadriceps strain) is scheduled for his next rehab game with the minor league club on Wednesday. ... RHP Michael Rucker (left turf toe) pitched a scoreless inning in a rehab appearance with Iowa on Saturday.
White Sox: OF Eloy Jiménez (right hamstring tendon surgery) felt “a tug” on a swing during his first rehab game with Triple-A Charlotte on Saturday, according to La Russa. Jiménez was replaced by a pinch-runner after a second-inning single, and La Russa said he might not play for a day or two. “It’s not perfect, it’s not what you would hope, but it still doesn’t change the expectation that he’s healing and on his way,” La Russa said. "Just have to be careful with him.” ... CF Luis Robert (COVID-19 IL) is much improved, and La Russa said he likely will travel with the team to Toronto.
UP NEXT
Cubs: RHP Matt Swarmer and LHP Drew Smyly (2-5, 4.08 ERA) are the starting pitchers for Monday's doubleheader against Milwaukee. LHPs Ethan Small and Aaron Ashby (0-3, 2.91 ERA) will take the mound for the Brewers. Swarmer and Small are making their big league debuts in the opener.
White Sox: Following an off day, RHP Lucas Giolito (3-1, 2.63 ERA) starts Tuesday night in the opener of a three-game series at Toronto. RHP Kevin Gausman (4-3, 2.25 ERA) takes the mound for the Blue Jays.
Jay Cohen can be reached at https://twitter.com/jcohenap
More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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