Walk-off blast takes Lopez off hook after giving up five runs
Trayce Thompson doesn’t think he has seized his second shot with the White Sox yet.
He has had too many inconsistent games, too much trouble putting together quality at-bats.
But when Addison Reed’s low 92 mph fastball came his way with two out in the ninth inning Thursday night at Guaranteed Rate Field he made the most of the opportunity.
The Sox outfielder homered to left field for a 6-5 walk-off victory over the Twins, his third career game-ending home run and first with the Sox. He rounded the bases to a Gatorade shower from his teammates — and the sight of infielder Yolmer Sanchez dumping a tub of liquid on himself.
“That’s the first time I’ve ever seen that in the game,” Thompson said. “And I wouldn’t expect it to come from anybody else. It was really funny.”
Thompson entered the night 4-for-32 with a double and two homers over 11 games since the Sox reacquired him from the Athletics in April. Thompson made his major-league debut with the Sox in 2015 before they traded him to the Dodgers in the three-team Todd Frazier trade. His return is a new opportunity with the team that drafted him in the second round in 2009.
“I feel like I haven’t been taking advantage of it, honestly,” Thompson said. “Obviously that last at-bat was good, but I’ve had too many inconsistent days and I’ve got to be better. I witnessed that with the (the Dodgers) last year, being with a National League champion team, witnessing the quality of at-bat each day and what it takes to be a (major-league) player.”
Thompson’s homer completed a Sox comeback from a four-run deficit to help pick up right-hander Reynaldo Lopez, who gave up a season-high five runs — four earned — over 6
Lopez hasn’t been in the majors long enough to have many hitters who might be classified as thorns in his side. But Logan Morrison, the only Twins hitter he previously faced, took a step in that direction.
Morrison was 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs against Lopez last year while with the Rays. He added to that tally Thursday with a double, homer and single off Lopez as the Twins took a 5-1 lead against the Sox in the fourth inning.
But Lopez finished his outing by allowing just a single in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings. He gave up six hits with two walks and no strikeouts.
“You’re going to have bad days,” Lopez said through a Sox interpreter. “I was feeling good physically and mentally. But I couldn’t find my stuff. It’s just another day and you have to learn and you have to grind through it.”
The Sox totaled 10 runs during their four-game losing streak against the Royals and the Cardinals.
They were down three starters Thursday with second baseman Yoan Moncada out healing a number of minor ailments and right fielder Avisail Garcia still rehabilitating from a right hamstring strain.
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