White Sox Hopeful Nick Nastrini Stumbles Against Blue Jays

Hopes were high for Nick Nastrini's return, but a disastrous inning against the Toronto Blue Jays set the tone for a crushing loss. Command issues plagued the Chicago White Sox rookie pitcher, leading to a nine-run onslaught. Despite stellar bullpen efforts, the White Sox offense struggled, extending their ugly road record in a tough series finale.

The Pale Hose entrusted Nastrini with salvaging the series against the Blue Jays. The plan to do so backfired and did so early in Wednesday night's contest when Toronto put up a big crooked number. Nastrini recorded two outs, but loaded the bases while doing so. The Sox hurler couldn't find the final out of the inning, starting with Davis Schneider's two-run single. 

Thunder in The Dome

Daulton Varsho followed with a bases-clearing triple, sending the inning spiraling. Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s base hit scored Varsho, and Bo Bichette capped off the inning with a two-run blast.

"I really just wasn't establishing that upper third of the zone," said Nastrini, after walking six without a single strikeout. "When I don't do that it kind of makes it tough to pitch."

The Jays added two more runs in the fourth thanks to Nastrini's command struggles and an error. Bichette singled Varsho and Guerro Jr. home with the help of Dominic Fletcher's throwing error. After the Sox rookie walked Justin Turner, the third walk of the inning, his night ended. He recorded only ten outs, allowing eight earned runs on seven hits and six walks. Nastrini will face the Blue Jays at home in his next start.

"Overall, fastball command wasn't there," White Sox manager Pedro Grifol said of Nastrini's rough start. "He's got some adjustments to make."

Relief Dominance

Tanner Banks relieved Nastrini and struck out Cavan Biggio and Alejandro Kirk to end the rally. Banks and Michael Soroka combined for 4.2 innings, allowing only three hits, no runs, and two walks while striking out seven. Chicago's relief crew has put together an impressive stretch of pitching over the last two weeks. The bullpen has allowed eight earned runs over their last 38.2 innings, compiling a 1.86 ERA.

Former White Sox pitcher Chris Bassitt tossed seven shutout innings with five hits allowed and two walks. He fanned four.

The South Siders offense couldn't rally to overcome the massive early deficit or capitalize on their few scoring opportunities. Two hitters reached base in the first, but Paul DeJong grounded into a double play. In the fourth, they loaded the bases with one out but failed to score.

Their two runs came in the eighth on a solo home run by Tommy Pham and DeJong's sacrifice fly, which scored Nicky Lopez.