Sox observations: Kopech shuts down Cubs hitters

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Both the White Sox and Cubs scuffled through April, but don’t tell that to the fans of each team who braved dreary weather for the first game of this year’s Crosstown series. The crowds may have been small, but the cheers were strong, including plenty of noise supporting the South Siders. Sox fans went home happy, too, as their team came away with a 3-1 win on Tuesday night. Here’s how it shook out:

KOPECH KEEPS CUBS SCORELESS

Michael Kopech is still technically looking for his first “quality start” of 2022 since he’s yet to throw more than five innings in a game. But that’s misleading since he’s given the White Sox nothing but quality efforts this year. For the third time in five starts Kopech didn’t allow an earned run. Tuesday also marked the third time that Kopech averaged at least one strikeout per inning. The White Sox still want to take a cautious approach with Kopech, saying they’ll look at various indicators like pitches thrown, or number of “stressful” innings to determine when he needs a rest.

“There may be a break, late in the season,” said Tony La Russa before the game. “We’re going to give him the extra six days off as soon as possible.”

In the meantime, the team will take every out Kopech can muster until reinforcements arrive.

ABREU FLASHES THE LEATHER

It’s no secret to Sox fans that José Abreu does a bang up job defending first base, but he doesn’t earn much national recognition for his glove work. On Tuesday however, it was on full display for all of Chicago. In fact, if not for a couple of stellar plays from Abreu, the White Sox may not have won Game 1 of the Crosstown series. With trouble brewing in the third inning, Abreu caught a screaming Seiya Suzuki line drive, then beat Alfonso Rivas back to the bag for an unassisted double play. Two innings later, he erased a leadoff single from Nick Madrigal by taking the forceout at first on a groundball, then delivering a perfect throw to Tim Anderson, who easily completed the double play by tagging Madrigal out at second. Both were difficult plays, but Abreu made them each look easy.

SOUTH SIDE TAKEOVER

From the very first Kopech K it was clear, White Sox fans had made the trip up north en masse. Even before the South Siders started scoring, there was a discernible difference in cheers for routine plays. When the Sox started to pour it on, that difference became even more noticeable. There were even audible “Let’s Go White Sox” cheers in the fifth inning, with no “Let’s Go Cubbies” response that is typical in Crosstown games. Cubs fans did make their presence known when the Cubs sprinkled in a hit here and there, or turned a nice double play. But with the fan support, and the team improving to 8-2 at Wrigley over the past 10 games, the North Side may be considered a home away from home for the Sox now.

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