Ronel Blanco strikes out four in loss to White Sox

The Red Sox entered the eighth inning trailing 3-1 but got something going as Wilyer Abreu drew a leadoff walk and Willson Contreras was plunked. two batters later, Story changed the game with his 394-foot (108.2-mph EV) three-run blast off of Jacob Latz. Story also singled in the game, finishing the night 2-for-4. The 33-year-old infielder is now slashing .246/.275/.360 with four homers, 28 RBI and five stolen bases in just 240 plate appearances on the season.

Abreu worked a leadoff walk off of Jacob Latz in the eighth inning that fueled their three-run rally to flip the game in their favor. He scored on Trevor Story’s three-run homer. He has been solid and capable producer throughout the season for the Red Sox, slashing .254/.333/.459 with 24 homers, 74 RBI and eight stolen bases in his 648 plate appearances.

Whitlock got Brandon Nimmo on a ground ball to first base to start the inning, then made things a bit more interesting as he issued a one-out walk to Wyatt Langford. He escaped trouble right away though, getting Jake Burger to ground into a game-ending double play. Whitlock has been excellent for the Red Sox this season, registering a 1.78 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and a 58/8 K/BB ratio over 50 2/3 innings, tallying seven wins and four saves in the process.

Gray struck out six batters in the contest while issuing three free passes. He served up a solo homer to Josh Jung in the opening inning, then allowed the Rangers to scratch out a pair of runs in the second inning. He kept them off the board the rest of the way though, affording his club the opportunity to come back. Gray generated 16 swings and misses on 102 offerings in the game — six on his sweeper — while posting a CSW of 25 percent. He’ll head into his final start of the regular season against the Guardians on Wednesday with a 17-5 record, 2.82 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and a 146/45 K/BB ratio over 163 innings on the season.

Jung opened the scoring in the ballgame as he crushed a 369-foot (98.1-mph EV) solo shot off of Sonny Gray in the home half of the first inning. That would be his only hit in four at-bats in the contest. The 28-year-old infielder has done a nice job when he has been on the field this season, slashing .298/.361/.449 with 10 homers and 38 RBI in 418 plate appearances.

The 28-year-old left-hander struck out three batters in the ballgame while issuing only one base on balls. He exited in the sixth inning with a comfortable 3-0 advantage, but the Rangers’ bullpen couldn’t hang on to get him his first victory of the season. Bradford got eight swings and misses on 73 offerings in the game, registering an elite CSW of 36 percent. He’ll attempt to further improve upon his 4.19 ERA and 1.50 WHIP (38 2/3 innings) in his season finale against the Mets on Wednesday.

Murakami got the White Sox on the board in impressive fashion in the first inning on Thursday, crushing a first-pitch sinker from Framber Valdez for a towering 423-foot (109.1-mph EV) three-run blast to center. That would be all of the offense that the White Sox would need. The 26-year-old rookie slugger is now slashing .205/.346/.471 with 32 homers, 68 RBI and a 183/87 K/BB ratio in 512 plate appearances.

Doyle smacked a leadoff single off of Framber Valdez in the fourth inning but was ultimately left stranded at third base. He then reached on a bunt single to start the sixth and swiped second base, but the White Sox were unable to bring him home. For the season, the 28-year-old outfielder is now hitting .226/.273/.317 with three homers, 12 RBI and 14 stolen bases in 199 plate appearances.

Taylor made things interesting as he allowed a one-out walk to Colt Keith and then a single to Kevin McGonigle to put the tying runs on base. He rebounded though to get Gleyer Torres to hit into a game-ending double play. For the season, Taylor has been the key cog in the White Sox’ bullpen, posting a 2.34 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and a 103/30 K/BB ratio over 80 2/3 innings while securing seven victories and nine saves.

The right-hander punched out six batters on the night while walking a pair. The only run that scored against him came on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Gleyber Torres in the third inning. Aside from that, Fedde was in complete control. It was unfortunate for fantasy managers that he was lifted just one out shy of earning a victory. Fedde got eight whiffs on 89 pitches on the evening, posting a CSW of 30 percent. He’ll carry a 3.90 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and a 97/50 K/BB ratio (138 1/3 innings) into his regular season finale against the Royals in Kansas City on Wednesday.