The Texas Rangers handed the Chicago White Sox a 3-2 loss at Surprise Stadium on Tuesday in spring training play. Despite Oliver Dunn's 1-for-1 with a home run and two RBI effort at the plate, the Sox could not pull even when it mattered. On the mound, Sean Burke turned in a solid outing, working 4.2 innings of 1-run ball with four strikeouts. The Rangers out-hit the Sox 6-4 on the day. The loss is a minor bump as the Sox continue fine-tuning ahead of Opening Day. The exhibition season is about preparation, and today provided the kind of reps the coaching staff needs to see.
Key Performers
Oliver Dunn was the top performer at the plate, going 1-for-1 with a home run and two RBI. His power was on full display throughout the game. The Sox will be hoping for more of the same as the spring continues.
Chase Meidroth provided support, going 1-for-4, Dustin Harris also contributed, going 1-for-1 with a double, and Derek Hill chipped in, going 1-for-3. The Sox showed flashes of offense but could not piece together the big inning they needed.
On the other side of the diamond, Danny Jansen led the Rangers offense with a 2-for-4 with two doubles and three RBI day. Wyatt Langford also contributed, going 1-for-2 with a double. Josh Jung added a 1-for-2 with a triple effort as well. The Rangers offense proved to be too much for the Sox pitching staff to contain on this particular day.
On the Mound
Sean Burke took the loss after turning in a quality outing, working 4.2 innings while allowing 1 earned run on 3 hits with four strikeouts. He threw 78 pitches in the outing. The coaching staff will review his performance as they continue mapping out the pitching plan for the regular season.
The bullpen combined for 3.1 innings of work, allowing 2 earned runs while striking out two. The Sox continue to sort through their relief options as they build their Opening Day bullpen. Every inning pitched in the spring is an opportunity for pitchers to make their case for a spot on the roster when the games start counting. Peyton Gray recorded the save to close out the game.
How It Happened
Rangers got on the board first with a run in the second inning. Rangers pushed across two runs in the eighth. The Sox struck back with two runs in the ninth. Rangers out-hit the Sox 6-4, with 1 error committed between the two clubs. A crowd of 6,076 was on hand to take in the action.
Looking Ahead
Despite the result, the Sox will take the lessons learned from this game and move forward. Spring training is about preparation and evaluation, not wins and losses, and the coaching staff gained valuable information about the roster today. There is still time to make adjustments before the regular season begins, and games like this one are part of that process.
