Will Venable Takes Responsibility As White Sox Squander Big Lead In Loss To Braves

The Chicago White Sox picked up where they left off after Monday's 13-9 win, as they racked up 10 runs in the first six innings of Tuesday's game against the Atlanta Braves.

Rookie catcher Kyle Teel doubled and homered to lead the team with four RBI, and production came from all over. Mike Tauchman, Miguel Vargas, Lenyn Sosa and Luis Robert Jr. each drove in runs, and eight players in the starting lineup recorded hits.

The White Sox had scored just five runs in four games leading up to their trip to Atlanta, but at Truist Park they've exploded for 23 runs , tied for their most in any two-game stretch this season. Also for a second straight night, however, the bullpen struggled.

On Monday –– following starter Yoendrys Gomez, who gave up three earned runs in five inning –– Mike Vasil allowed a run and the Braves tagged recently promoted Owen White for four runs. After trailing by scores of 7-0, 10-1 and 13-5, Atlanta threatened to score in the eighth and ninth inning, but White Sox relievers Jordan Leasure and Grant Taylor did just enough to secure the win.

Teel's home run in the sixth inning of Tuesday's game put the White Sox ahead 10-4, typically a comfortable lead. But when manager Will Venable turned it over to the bullpen after six innings with four earned runs from starter Shane Smith, things went downhill quickly.

A fielding error from shortstop Chase Meidroth put the leadoff man on in the seventh, and left-hander Tyler Gilbert allowed hits to two of the next three batters before being pulled. Elvis Peguero walked his first two batters, then allowed a single and a fielder's choice RBI in the next two. All of a sudden, a six-run lead turned into just a 10-9 advantage.

Left-hander Tyler Alexander has been one of the most reliable White Sox relievers this season, but he loaded the bases in his first three at-bats on Tuesday. Steven Wilson entered and immediately recorded the second out in the eighth, but the Braves took an 11-10 lead with a Drake Baldwin single off Wilson. The White Sox comeback attempt in the ninth ended quickly as they went down in order.

Following the loss, which saw the Braves score seven runs in their final two innings, Venable took responsibility for his team's inability to hold onto the lead.

"The Braves found ways to get guys on base, to get hits. We just weren't a ble to get outs there. Credit guys on the other side. At the same time, it's my job to put these guys in position to succeed and just haven't been able to do that the last two nights, and that's on me," Venable said. "We'll reflect on what we could have done better from my end. But you know, our group of arms in the bullpen have done a great job all year. The Braves offense just continues to come at you and makes it really hard on you. It was just two nights in a row where we were just not able to get outs late in the game."

White Sox relievers were on a good run for an extended period leading up to Tuesday's game, ranking eighth in MLB with a 3.53 bullpen ERA from July 1 through Aug. 18. As for what Venable could have done differently, he didn't delve into specifics but reiterated his trust in the group.

"We'll take a look. That's part of our process every night, just to look back and see if there's something we could have done different," Venable said. "We trust all of our guys, it's two nights where it just hasn't worked out, and that's just kind of the way these games have gone on both sides –– we're scoring runs early, and they're scoring runs late. Just one of those tough ones."