Chicago, meanwhile, is still finding its footing after losing catcher Kyle Teel for potentially months with a high-ankle sprain and getting no fifth-starter help with Drew Thorpe still rehabbing in Arizona. The White Sox have been streaky all year, and this series has been a microcosm of that — a blowout win over Houston sandwiched between losses, then dropping the front end of this set to New York before running out of ammo again.
All the damage in this one came in a hurry. New York strung together a 3-run second inning and then just sat on it, with Cole and the bullpen keeping Chicago off the board for eight straight innings. The White Sox didn't go quietly, scratching across 2 runs in the bottom of the 9th to make it interesting, but they ran out of outs a run short.
It's the second straight win over Chicago for New York in this series, and for a Yankees team that's now 60-46 and trying to hold position without its big three bats, that kind of low-scoring, close-the-door win matters more than a laugher would. For the White Sox, at 55-50 and still very much alive in the wild-card mix, blowing a series opener and now the follow-up stings — especially with the bullpen taxed and the rotation thin behind Kay.