Sean Burke took the mound for Chicago at 6:40 PM CT with a 2.99 ERA, by far the sharper number of the two starters. Nick Lodolo started opposite him for Cincinnati carrying a 4.86 ERA and a 3-2 record, the shakier arm on paper in every sense. On name value alone, this looked like a night for the home team to lean on its pitching edge.
Nick Lodolo
(3-3)·5.04 ERA
Jul 11 vs Cubs
ND
5.0IP
2ER
4K
3BB
78P
08/11 Lineup
Sean Burke
(7-6)·3.27 ERA
Aug 5 @ Red Sox
L
4.1IP
2ER
4K
2BB
91P
08/11 Lineup
Both rosters are banged up in different spots. Chicago is already down two catchers for the long haul with Joey Bart and Kyle Teel both on the 10-day IL, and Chase Meidroth was out of the lineup with a wrist issue. Cincinnati's bigger loss is on the mound — Hunter Greene went to the 60-day IL with an elbow injury, thinning a rotation that already had Brandon Williamson rehabbing at Triple-A. None of that stopped the market from making the White Sox a solid home favorite going in.
For four innings, the price looked right. Chicago built a 4-1 lead behind runs in the first two innings and another pair in the fourth, and Rate Field was settling in for a comfortable night.
Then Cincinnati flipped it. A 3-run eighth pulled the Reds level at 4-4, and neither bullpen budged again until the 10th, when Cincinnati scratched across the go-ahead run and made it stand up for a 5-4 win. Chicago's offense, which had done all its damage in the first four innings, never found another run the rest of the way.
It's the kind of finish that swings a series — Cincinnati has now taken the head-to-head opener from a Chicago team that came in above .500, while the Reds arrive with their own rotation questions after losing Greene for the season. Both clubs are hovering right around .500, which means nights like this one matter more than the standings would suggest.
Reds 5, White Sox 4: Final Score & Odds Recap — Reds Erase Early Deficit, Beat White Sox in 10 Innings
