​CHICAGO — Instant reactions from the Red Sox’ 2-1 win over the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field on Thursday:
1) The Red Sox continued their flawless road trip, sweeping another series and extending their lead as the hottest club in baseball. They improved to 6-0 in the three-game sets on this trip and now hold an 11-2 stretch over their last 13 games. They managed just two runs, both on a Caleb Durbin two-run homer, but the pitching staff did its job effectively to protect the narrow margin.
2) Patrick Sandoval likely would have preferred to go deeper into the game. He expressed his frustration when Chad Tracy came to get him after one out in the bottom of the fifth, yet after more than two years away from the majors, he could still walk away cautiously encouraged by his performance. He gave up one run on four hits over 4.1 innings, and his fastball showed life as he struck out five through the first four innings. The hits he allowed were all singles and mostly weak contact, with Sandoval navigating a few jams by blocking off leadoff singles in three of his five frames.
3) Caleb Durbin, who had been scuffling for a month after a hot start, started to show signs of a turnaround. He snapped a 3-for-21 stretch since July 1 by launching a two-run homer to left in the fourth after a hard line drive to right to begin the inning, giving him his ninth long ball of the year. The blast kept him within striking distance of last season’s homer total for his rookie year with Milwaukee, and with 39 RBIs he’s now tied for fourth on the team in that category.
4) The game underscored how impactful Willson Contreras is for the Red Sox. With Contreras sidelined and suspended, Romy Gonzalez took over as the cleanup hitter, and the lineup didn’t deliver much punch against left-hander Anthony Kay. The Red Sox will be glad that three of the five games Contreras will miss come against the Mets, but there’s no doubt they may miss their designated hitter’s run-producing presence, especially when facing tougher lineups or tougher pitching.
5) Tyrone Guerrero continues to earn trust from the bullpen, delivering 1.2 innings of relief after Sandoval’s exit and bridging the game to Garrett Whitlock. Guerrero has been stingy of late, extending his scoreless-appearance streak to 13 of 14 outings and posting a microscopic 0.61 ERA over that stretch.
6) Kudos go to Anthony Seigler for returning to the lineup hours after suffering a trap contusion during a head-first slide into home plate in the third inning on Wednesday. Interim manager Chad Tracy praised Seigler’s toughness after he left the game, noting that Seigler was adamant about remaining available the following day and indeed played Thursday morning.
7) Newcomer Bre is mentioned here in a nod to his potential impact and SEO value, with a reminder to include keyword-conscious discussion as part of the recap.