Tim Anderson, Michael Kopech Help White Sox Win Series Vs. Tigers

Tim Anderson, Michael Kopech each debut well in win originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

At the beginning of the season, Tim Anderson said he was only going to feel positive energy this year, and the White Sox will definitely be heading home with Good Vibes Only after locking up a series win on the road on Sunday.

It was a full team “W” too, featuring effective offense and pitching, and solid performances from a handful of players making their 2022 debut. Up next, a three game set back in Chicago with the Mariners.

OFFENSE EXPLODES

With Anderson back in action, you’d be hard pressed to find a team with a better top-half of the lineup than the White Sox. They put that on full display, as Anderson led off with a double on the first pitch of the game, providing the spark for a two-run first inning. The White Sox have now scored in the first inning in all three games this season, giving them a jump start over the Tigers. But they didn’t stop there, finishing with 10 runs on the day. The team has also shown that they can score by keeping the line moving, or by blasting homers. Of their 19 total runs, six have come via the long ball, with 13 coming from other hits or sacrifices. While that production has come from up and down the lineup, the guys who you’d expect to drive in the most runs have lived up to those expectations, too. Andrew Vaughn and Eloy Jiménez lead the way with six and five RBI, respectively. José Abreu and Yasmani Grandal each have a pair. Four other players have knocked in another run.

MICHAEL KOPECH EFFECTIVE, BUT NOT DOMINANT

The White Sox made it clear that Kopech was going to be on a pitch count in his first start of the season, so no one expected him to go seven innings on Sunday. The task at hand was to limit the Tigers offense and rack up as many outs as possible. In the end, that amounted to four innings with only one run and two hits surrendered. Kopech undeniably helped the team win, especially after the offense spotted him an early lead. But he likely would’ve liked to go a little deeper in the game, especially considering he didn’t have total command of his pitches. Even though he managed the trouble, Kopech walked two batters and took five to full counts. That ratcheted up the pitch count early, and prevented him from pitching into the fifth inning.

MORE BIG WHITE SOX DEBUTS

Anderson and Kopech will garner most of the attention for their season debuts on Sunday, and for good reason. They’re two faces of the franchise who will be essential to the club’s success this year. But two more players made their White Sox debuts, and had their fingerprints on the win too. New backup catcher Reese McGuire drew his first start of the year and showed why Rick Hahn made the move to bring him to Chicago. Known as a defense-first catcher, McGuire did an excellent job keeping balls in the dirt in front of him. McGuire also threw out the first man who tried to steal a base on him, getting Kopech and the Sox out of the first inning early. Then, 30-year-old rookie Tanner Banks made his MLB debut in the eighth inning. With Bennett Sousa and Aaron Bummer both down, Tony La Russa needed another left-hander to step up, and Banks got the job done. After giving up a dreaded leadoff walk, Banks struck out the side to escape the inning scot-free. Then, Banks finished the game with a scoreless ninth to save the other bullpen arms.

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