Lake Bachar earns the save

Peters was at the heart of this White Sox blowout win over the Athletics. First, he contributed a run-scoring single during their four-run outburst against Aaron Civale. Then, he helped break it open with a two-run home run as they poured it on in the seventh inning. The White Sox managed to bat around in that inning and Peters came to the plate next needing a triple to complete the cycle. He yanked a ball down the first base line, got on his horse, and slid into third safely as the crowd roared. That was the first cycle by a White Sox player since José Abreu – yes, really – in 2017. This is a fantastic exclamation point on a stellar first half for Peters’ with a .303/.357/.484 slash-line to go along with six home runs and five stolen bases.

Burke was dominant here from the get-go. He was perfect through the first 13 batters and when Jacob Wilson finally singled in the fifth, he was immediately erased by a double play. His fastball was the star of the show, forcing 10 of his 16 total swings-and-misses and sitting at 96 mph, more than a full tick above its season average. That pitch was so lethal that Burke used it more so as his put-away pitch while mixing his slider, knuckle-curve, and sinker more so early in counts. He had it all going on and ended the first half on a heater not giving up more than two runs in any of his last five starts. Altogether, he’ll head into the All-Star break with a stellar 3.41 ERA, 115 strikeouts, and 33 walks through 105 2/3 innings.

At the time, it seemed like Soderstrom had hit a meaningful home run. He cut the White Sox’s lead to 4-1 in the top of the seventh and there was a whiff of momentum in the air. Then, the White Sox responded with an eight-run bottom of that inning and the rout was on. Alas, that was Soderstrom’s 14th home run in a first half where he had to battle a couple of injuries.

Civale was bumped from the rotation to both help acquiesce Jacob Lopez’s return and also because of his own struggles lately. Coming in after Lopez retired the first five batters of the game on 12 pitches, Civale had a few easy innings before being hit hard in a four-run fifth. He hasn’t been effective in over a month, doesn’t miss many bats, and should not be considered a serious option in even the deepest of leagues. Pay attention to Lopez’s workload though, as he went from 63 pitches in his first start off the injured list to again, just 12 in this one.

Kittredge allowed a one out double to Michael Massey in the ninth but retired the next two batters he faced to close out the frame and secure the win. Kittredge has now been called upon to close out games in back-to-back days for the Orioles, and could become a part of the team’s closer committee for as long as Ryan Helsley remains sidelined.

Suzuki was responsible for two of the four hits the Cubs registered on a night where the offense was completely shutdown by Reds starter Hunter Greene. Suzuki doubled to kick off the start of the second inning but couldn’t come around to score after Greene locked in to retire the next three batters he faced via strikeout. Suzuki has now hit safely in three-straight games and has had at least one extra-base hit in each of those games.

De La Cruz broke a scoreless tie in the fifth inning, sending his 15th homer of the season into the stands to put the Reds up 1-0. He would later triple in the bottom of the seventh inning and came around to score on a sacrifice fly by Sal Stewart to put the Reds up 2-0. Elly continues to go on a tear since returning from injury and is slashing .286/.390/.543 on the month with a few days to go before the All-Star Break.

Soroka is still dealing with a bit of soreness, so the Diamondbacks will take a cautious approach and give him a couple of extra days out. The plan had been for him to rejoin their rotation immediately following the All-Star break, but it looks like he’s going to need at least another week or so before he’s ready.

Greene couldn’t have asked for a much better outing in this one. After a disastrous first start of the season his last time out, the hard-throwing righty held the Cubs in check all night, allowing just three hits over seven scoreless frames. Greene was lights out for the Reds on Friday, needing just 93 pitches to get through this outing while limiting himself to just one walk. He’ll get some time off with the All-Star Break just around the corner, but hopefully this start signals a strong second-half of the season for him.

Imanaga was locked in a pitcher’s duel with Hunter Greene, as both pitchers tossed four scoreless innings to begin the game. Imanaga was the first to fold on the night when he allowed a solo homer to Elly De La Cruz in the fifth inning to give the Reds a 1-0 lead. It would be the only run Imanaga would allow on the night, as the righty did his part to hold the Reds in check but received no run support from his offense. Imanaga enters the All-Star Break with a 5-8 record and a 4.17 ERA.