Chicago’s South Side Rises as White Sox Gain Momentum

Energy is buzzing once again on Chicago’s South Side as the up-and-coming White Sox take an unexpected lead in their games.

On Friday night, Dodgers pitcher Aki Sasaki faced a challenging situation.

Amidst a lively crowd at Leto Field, Sasaki struggled to find his recently improved pitching skills, and the Dodgers ended up losing 8-2, trailing by seven runs after five innings.

“As a staff, we did a really good job of not allowing huge innings,” manager Dave Roberts remarked. “But the last several games, we’ve given up big runs. Unfortunately, that’s just part of it.”

Even before the game began, the Dodgers were off to a rough start.

Shohei Ohtani was out due to knee inflammation. The lineup looked different, with Alex Cole hitting leadoff and Santiago Espinal designated as the DH.

Against the odds, the Dodgers initially took a 2-1 lead, thanks to Andrew Benintendi’s solo home run in the first and Espinal’s two-run homer in the second inning, which momentarily stabilized things.

However, everything changed by the end of the fifth inning.

The downfall for Sasaki began with a walk—one of three he issued that inning—a sign that his old command issues were resurfacing. The defense didn’t help either, as Freddie Freeman failed to snag a ground ball that could have led to a double play, allowing the first run of the inning to score.

At that point, the game was tied at 2-2, and the crowd erupted with excitement, reminiscent of postseason energy. Things only escalated from there when former Dodgers player Miguel Vargas hit an RBI double against the wall, contributing to the momentum shift.

Sasaki found himself in trouble, walking a batter with the bases loaded. Blake Treinen came in relief but faced his share of struggles, allowing both a two-run hit and a triple.

Even if the Dodgers (44-26) had Ohtani’s bat, the six-run deficit was going to be tough to overcome.

“A few years back, there was hardly anyone here on the South Side, and it was disheartening,” Roberts reflected on the White Sox’s past. “Now, you can feel the energy and excitement, and they’re sitting in first place. It’s quite a young, athletic squad.”

What it Means

Despite showing improvement recently, Sasaki is still developing as a pitcher.

On this night, he struggled with his breaking balls, fell behind in counts, and couldn’t stop the scoring. His stats reflected a tough outing: 4 1/3 innings, 7 runs, 3 walks, and 4 strikeouts—bringing his ERA back up to 4.76.

“My off-speed pitches weren’t working well today,” Sasaki explained through an interpreter. “So I fell behind in counts, which made getting easy outs challenging.”

Who’s Hot

The standout for the Dodgers was second baseman Miguel Rojas, who seemed to be shaking off a recent slump.

Rojas managed two hits in four at-bats, including a double. In a strange moment, he also slipped while trying to field a ball but recovered well enough to throw out a runner.

Who’s Not

Unfortunately for the Dodgers, their situational offense struggled, particularly in crucial moments.

They had an opportunity in the second inning to capitalize but fell flat. Despite Espinal’s single, the Dodgers failed to score, leaving runners stranded and facing missed chances.

After that point, the only time the Dodgers made contact was Rojas’ single in the third inning.

Next Steps

On Saturday, Yoshinobu Yamamoto (6-4, 2.68 ERA) will pitch against right-hander Sean Burke (3-3, 3.88 ERA). Whether Ohtani will return remains uncertain.

“He just received treatment today,” Roberts noted, sharing a sense of optimism. “I’m hoping we can get him back in shape for tonight and see how it goes.”