In recent weeks, opposing teams have struggled to retire Chicago White Sox rookie left fielder Eloy Jimenez. The New York Yankees were no exception on Friday night.
After getting a pair of three-run homers by Jimenez in a 10-2 victory Friday, the White Sox can go over the .500 mark for the first time this season Saturday night when they host the Yankees.
At 34-34, the White Sox are at .500 for the first time since they were 3-3 on April 5. They last possessed a winning record on April 2, 2018, after the third game of last season, and their last winning record in June was on June 10, 2016.
“A lot,” Jimenez said when asked about the significance of reaching .500. “For us, we are going to keep pushing, and we are going to try to get a spot in the playoffs.”
Chicago has a chance to go over the break-even point after Jimenez recorded his third career multi-homer game and second against the Yankees. He collected a career-high six RBIs, tied a career best with three hits and is 6-for-16 with four homers and nine RBIs in his first five games against New York.
Jimenez’s power display helped the White Sox improve to 11-5 in their last 16 games. Jimenez’s bat also is heating up as he is hitting .348 (16-for-46) with five homers and 14 RBIs in his last 13 games.
Jimenez’s big night helped the White Sox beat the Yankees for the fourth time in five meetings. Chicago has scored 39 runs in the season series and clinched a winning record against the Yankees for the first time since 2012.
“Everybody is playing hard right now and we enjoy the game and we enjoy winning, too,” Jimenez said. “That’s why we keep working hard and we are going to be good.”
New York is 2-6 in its past eight games against the White Sox but also 3-8 in its past 11 games overall since June 1. Before their first slump in two months, the Yankees went 32-10 in 42 games from April 16-June 1, a stretch in which they played without Giancarlo Stanton and lost Aaron Judge on April 20.
While Stanton and Judge were starting rehab assignments in Triple-A ahead of a possible return next week, the Yankees were held to six hits in losing their third straight. Luke Voit homered four pitches in, marking the 17th straight game with a homer for New York, but the Yankees also allowed a homer for the 13th straight game and double-digit runs for the third time this month.
“It’s inevitable you’re going to hit a patch, and we’ve got to play better, there’s no question about it,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “But you can’t be fazed by the ups and downs that are inevitably part of the season, and we won’t be. But definitely a little bit of a rough patch, and we need to play better in every facet right now.”
New York also continued to struggle on the mound and enters Saturday with a 6.12 ERA in 12 games this month.
Chicago’s starters own a 3.62 ERA in their past 11 games after Lucas Giolito allowed a run in six-plus innings Friday. The White Sox are hoping Reynaldo Lopez (4-6, 6.21 ERA) can reverse some recent poor results.
In his past four starts, Lopez is 1-2 with a 9.31 ERA, a 1.91 WHIP and a .346 opponents’ batting average.
Lopez is coming off his best start of the season, when he allowed one run on four hits Sunday against the Royals at Kansas City for his first win since May 13.
The right-hander is 1-0 with a 1.29 ERA in two career starts against the Yankees.
New York will employ the opener and use Chad Green (1-2, 8.27 ERA) to begin the game before likely using Nestor Cortes (0-0, 3.86) as its second pitcher.
The Yankees are 4-0 in games started by Green, and he owns a 4.76 ERA as the opener. He last started Sunday against the Indians in Cleveland, where he pitched two scoreless innings.
