It hasn’t always been pretty, but this week’s series between the visiting Chicago White Sox and Atlanta Braves has proved to be entertaining.
The teams will meet again Wednesday night in the rubber match of a three-game series after Atlanta rallied from a six-run deficit to win 11-10 on Tuesday.
Michael Harris II and Jurickson Profar each hit a two-run homer for Atlanta, which has won nine of its last 11 games.
Profar has four homers in his last three games, while Harris is riding a 12-game hitting streak. Harris is batting .471 (24-for-51) with 10 extra-base hits and 17 RBIs during the streak.
“He’s been unbelievable,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said of Harris. “Just what he’s doing, the consistency, and how he kind of found what he’s doing has been awesome to see.”
Atlanta’s win came after Chicago recorded season highs in runs and hits (19) in a 13-9 victory in the series opener on Monday.
The White Sox scored 10 runs on Tuesday but fell short after the Braves rallied from a 10-4 deficit by scoring a total of seven runs in the seventh and eighth innings.
Kyle Teel homered for the second straight game and drove in four runs for the White Sox, who lost for the fifth time in their last six games.
“I thought we did a lot of good things,” Teel said. “Hit the ball really well. And sometimes it just happens. I don’t think anyone is happy about this. This stinks. You just have to think what’s next. We have a game tomorrow, and that’s what we are focused on.”
Atlanta will send right-hander Hurston Waldrep (3-0, 1.02 ERA) to the mound in the series finale against Chicago left-hander Martin Perez (1-2, 3.09).
Waldrep continued to be impressive with six scoreless innings in a 2-0 win over the Cleveland Guardians on Friday. He allowed two hits and struck out seven.
The 23-year-old has allowed a total of two runs over three appearances (two starts) covering 17 2/3 innings since being recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett on Aug. 2.
“He’s a different guy than what I remember last year,” Snitker said. “He’s not having to pitch at 98 (mph) to be effective. His command’s a lot better. There’s a lot of really good stuff to like.”
Waldrep is set to make his first appearance against the White Sox.
Perez, 30, returned from the 60-day injured list last Wednesday and allowed one run over 3 1/3 innings in relief during a 1-0 loss to Detroit. Making his first appearance since exiting his start on April 18 against Boston due to a flexor strain, Perez threw 40 of his 66 pitches for strikes.
“I was so nervous in that first inning,” Perez said. “I don’t know if you guys see it. It was good to be back after almost four months, to be back on the mound and compete again.”
Ozzie Albies is 7-for-9 with two homers against Perez, who is 0-2 with a 9.69 ERA in three career starts vs. Atlanta.
Chicago is monitoring the status of rookie shortstop Colson Montgomery, who is listed as day-to-day after sitting out Tuesday’s game with soreness in his left side.
–Field Level Media
