LOS ANGELES — The White Sox hit four home runs Thursday; the Dodgers had one.
But the Sox’ shots were solo long balls, and the Dodgers’ came with the bases loaded, a tying shot by Chris Taylor against Reynaldo Lopez in the sixth. When the Dodgers broke the tie in the 11th inning, walking off the Sox 5-4 on Freddie Freeman’s single against Garrett Crochet on a night the Sox were well positioned to take a series on a tough road trip, those four home runs seemed oh, so long ago.
That’s because the Sox mustered just one more hit after the fourth, a double by Elvis Andrus leading off the eighth inning. Andrus would not score, getting caught between third and home on a baserunning blunder the Sox could ill afford.
“It was a tough ballgame. A tough one to lose, too,” manager Pedro Grifol said. “A four-run lead, it’s a tough one to lose. Four homers.”
The Sox’ four home runs came in the first four innings against right-hander Michael Grove in support of Dylan Cease, who struck out 10 and took a 4-0 lead into the sixth. The Sox looked primed to take the rubber game of the series but instead fell to 30-40 in their failing quest to chip away at their significant distance below the .500 mark.
Luis Robert and Eloy Jimenez hit back-to-back homers in the first inning, and Jake Burger and Andrew Vaughn hit back-to-back jacks in the fourth. It was Burger’s 16th of the season and third in two games. Robert hit his 17th and second in two games.
It was the first time since July 11, 2010, the Sox hit back-to-back homers twice in a game.
But Burger struck out his other four times up, adding to the Sox’ total of 16 whiffs. The Dodgers (39-30) also struck out 16 times.
“I feel a lot of the responsibility,” Burger said. “In the 11th inning, I had an at-bat to move [the free runner, pinch runner Romy Gonzalez], and Vaughnie hits a sac fly ball there but I didn’t get him over. We like the four home runs, but for me I didn’t execute, and that’s it.”
With his pitch count at 102, Cease was lifted with one out and two runners on in the sixth. James Outman’s two-out single against Lopez loaded the bases for Taylor.
“I think I had both those guys in two-strike counts, and I left pitches up, so I was disappointed I didn’t finish it off,” Cease said.
The Sox had a chance to regain the lead when Andrus doubled against Shelby Miller. But Tim Anderson struck out looking, and after Gavin Sheets grounded out, sending Andrus to third, and Robert walked, Andrus got caught between third and home to end the inning.
With Jimenez up, Andrus bit on Will Smith’s pump fake to second with Robert stealing — and was chased down by Taylor, the third baseman, for the third out.
“He just got caught on the arm fake,” Grifol said.
Freeman’s game-winner was a fly ball that landed harmlessly behind Robert, playing shallow with the bases loaded and no outs. Mookie Betts walked on an 11-pitch at-bat before that, and Crochet — his velocity at 93-94 mph, a few below his norm — received a visit from Grifol and assistant trainer Josh Fallin.
“Velocity was a little down,” Grifol said. “He threw a couple of innings the other day. I just wanted to make sure he wasn’t hurt. He said he wasn’t. You got a guy throwing the upper 90s, he comes out throwing 93-94, it’s OK as long as he’s not hurt. He said he felt good.”
