TORONTO -- The White Sox kept the pressure on.
Nothing came easily in Sunday’s 4-2 victory over the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre, but one big inning was what the visitors needed to turn their luck around. After eight straight losses entering the series, taking two out of three felt like a needed fresh start.
“It means a lot to us,” said Miguel Vargas, who delivered a game-winning two-run double in the eighth. “We've been playing a lot of really good games lately, and then we don't get the results. It's sometimes tough to continue to do it and not give up. And I think that's [what] our team is good [at]. I'm really proud to be part of this team.”
Vargas’ knack for the big moments was on full display, but that eighth-inning rally was orchestrated one at-bat at a time, most of them with two out.
“One after the other, they put us in a really good spot,” said manager Will Venable. “This team keeps coming offensively. Even though we don't get the results, sometimes, they continue to fight and have good at-bats. And today was a great example.”
The White Sox trailed by a run when Austin Slater opened the inning with a seven-pitch walk. A pair of strikeouts later, it was time to put the ball in play. A single and another walk loaded the bases for Andrew Benintendi, who hit a tapper that Blue Jays closer Jeff Hoffman couldn’t handle, allowing the tying run to score from third on an error.
Vargas then worked a seven-pitch at-bat of his own, fouling off three straight pitches before lining a low slider to left field for a two-run double.
“I was just trying to battle him,” said Vargas. “I know he has really good stuff, so I was just trying to fight him, trying to put the ball in play and get the run.”
It may be odd to think of a 25-year-old with four years of big league experience as a veteran, but that’s what Vargas represents to this young White Sox team. Watching him come through in another crucial spot is more than a boost for the rest of this lineup. It may well be a blueprint to follow.
“He wants those moments,” said Venable. “He is somebody that is out there, he's vocal in the dugout and clubhouse. He and everybody else see him as a leader, on and off the field. So [it's] great to have him in those moments.”
That offensive breakthrough gave the bullpen a two-run cushion to work with, and this team still had room for more feel-good stories.
Grant Taylor didn’t fully realize it was a save opportunity until he was already on the mound for the bottom of the ninth. That’s when the adrenaline kicked in, and he turned up the aggressiveness to earn his first career big league save, bookending a series that started with Taylor on the mound as the opener on Friday evening.
“Throwing the first inning and the last inning of a series? I’d never done that before,” Taylor said with a smile.
This game’s pitching clinic started with Adrian Houser, who returned from the paternity list to throw 6 1/3 innings of two-run ball and reach his fifth quality starts in six outings as a member of the White Sox.
Much like the bats in that decisive eighth inning, Houser was determined to keep his team in the game, limiting damage against a lineup that entered this series as one of the hottest in the Majors. The pulse never got too high and there was no snowball effect, even when Houser found himself facing Vladimir Guerrero Jr. with two out and the bases loaded in the fifth. Houser stayed true to the game plan, getting Guerrero to ground out on a sinker and keeping the game tied.
Maybe he found some additional motivation for this first start back.
“I’d like to believe so,” Houser laughed. “I think I had a little extra dad strength today.”