Eloy Jimenez hit a home run, and Garrett Crochet pitched well for six innings, helping the Chicago White Sox secure a 5-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday.
Chicago struggled in their first 16 road games this season, but they managed to win their first road series of the season with this victory. Paul DeJong contributed with a run-scoring double for the White Sox, adding to the team’s success. DeJong previously played for the St. Louis Cardinals for seven seasons from 2017 to 2023.
On the other side, St. Louis, who has lost four of their last five games, got a homer from Willson Contreras.
Jimenez’s fourth home run of the season, off reliever Giovanny Gallegos (2-1), broke the 1-1 tie in the seventh inning, leading to a four-run rally for the White Sox.
“We’ve had a tough start at the beginning, but right now we’ve been playing better baseball,” Jimenez said. “Now, we’re showing what we can do.”
Crochet (2-4) had a solid performance, allowing only one run on three hits. He had struggled in his previous four starts, giving up 16 earned runs in 16 2/3 innings. Crochet struck out six batters and didn’t issue any walks.
“My slider shape was back,” Crochet said. “Today, I was able to compete in the zone with my heater. I was getting it away, getting it up and in. That helped them, not sit on one pitch.”
Crochet was hit on the ankle by a line drive from Lars Nootbaar in the third inning. After shaking it off and a few warmup tosses, he was ready to continue.
“His performance today was brave,” Chicago manager Pedro Grifol said. “He took a hard hit from that line drive. For him to stay in the game and perform the way he did, especially finishing strong, was impressive.”
Crochet, who missed the entire 2022 season due to Tommy John surgery, has struck out 53 batters this season. He is the first Chicago pitcher to reach 50 strikeouts in his first eight starts.
“Let’s keep up the momentum,” Crochet said. Bryan Ramos got his first RBI with a sacrifice fly in the second inning, marking his first major league at-bat. He also contributed with a single in the decisive seventh inning.
DeJong, Robbie Grossman, and Gavin Sheets each had two hits for the White Sox. The Cardinals have struggled in day games this season, with a record of 5-14.
With the loss, the Cardinals dropped to a season-low four games below .500 at 15-19.
“We just have to keep putting in the work,” St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol said. “That’s the bottom line. I know it may sound repetitive, but that’s all we can do—keep working and striving to improve.”
