Braves vs White Sox Recap: Late Rally falls short in 2-1 loss

The Braves rolled into Chicago looking to keep winning. Just the night before, they'd beaten the White Sox 5-6 in a wild game. Now they wanted revenge. But things didn't go the way Atlanta hoped. The White Sox dominated from start to finish, winning 2-1 at home. Chris Sale took the loss for Atlanta after pitching well into the game. The star pitcher gave up six hits and two runs over five and two-thirds innings. He struck out six batters but couldn't escape trouble when it mattered most. Atlanta came in as the better team, but Chicago's bats proved just strong enough on this Wednesday night.

The White Sox came out swinging in the fourth inning. Derek Hill ripped a single to center field that sent Braden Montgomery racing home. The White Sox led 1-0 fast. Then Luisangel Acuna grounded out to the pitcher on the next play, and Hill sprinted home to make it 2-0. Chicago's bats were firing on all cylinders. Davis Martin took the mound for the White Sox and was absolutely brilliant. He threw six innings of perfect baseball with zero runs allowed. Martin struck out six Braves hitters and didn't walk anyone. Atlanta's lineup looked helpless against him. The Braves' Michael Harris II struck out three times. Austin Riley whiffed at the plate too. Chicago had total control of this game through most of it.

Atlanta finally broke through in the seventh inning. Jorge Mateo scored on an error by Chicago's third baseman Miguel Vargas. That made it 2-1, and suddenly the Braves had life again. But it wasn't enough. Chicago's bullpen clamped down hard after that. Sean Newcomb, Seranthony Dominguez, and Bryan Hudson all threw scoreless innings in relief. Hudson even saved the game by getting the final outs. The Braves' bats never found another gear. Their offense managed just seven hits total against Chicago's pitching. Atlanta dropped to 45-22 on the season, losing their first game after winning seven of their last ten. Chicago improved to 35-31, bouncing back from yesterday's loss. The White Sox showed they could hang with one of baseball's better teams.