‘It’s a real bummer’: Chicago White Sox LF Austin Hays suffers a hamstring strain in 2-1 loss
· Yahoo Sports
Austin Hays ran toward the left-field line, attempting to track down Tyler O’Neill’s high fly ball in the fourth inning of Monday’s game against the Baltimore Orioles at Rate Field.
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The Chicago White Sox left fielder began hopping in obvious pain and the ball fell for a run-scoring single.
Hays exited with a right hamstring strain, a blow to the Sox offense in a 2-1 loss to the Orioles in front of 17,221. The Sox said Hays will undergo further evaluation.
“He will go to the (injured list),” manager Will Venable said. “Going to do some imagining on it (Tuesday) to see where we’re at, have a little bit better of an idea of the timeline.”
The Sox have had a banged-up outfield early in the season. Brooks Baldwin has been on the injured list since March 25 with a right elbow sprain. And the Sox placed outfielder Everson Pereira on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to Thursday, with a left ankle sprain.
Hays is 7-for-32 (.219) with one double, one home run, six RBIs and two runs in nine games after signing a one-year deal with the Sox in the offseason. He played for the Orioles from 2017-24, earning All-Star honors in 2023.
“He’s a guy who’s been a performer in this league,” Venable said. “He understands the nuance of being a major-league player, both on and off the field. What it means to prepare. What it means to go out there and compete. He’s a guy that our younger players look to as a veteran, in the clubhouse and on the field.
“It’s a tough one for the group, a tough one for (Hays). Put so much work into this. It’s a real bummer.”
Hays had one of the team’s four hits on Monday, collecting a single in the second inning. Chase Meidroth had two singles and Andrew Benintendi had an infield hit in the loss. Orioles starter Brandon Young allowed two hits, struck out two and walked two in five scoreless innings.
Sox pitcher Erick Fedde allowed two runs on five hits with four strikeouts and one walk in six innings.
“To start the year, I’ve felt great with my stuff,” Fedde said. “I really feel like I have four pitches that I’ve been commanding. Not much to complain about. Obviously, don’t want to give up runs, but overall happy with my stuff.
“I think (the sweeper has) been my best pitch throughout spring and into the season. It’s getting me a lot of outs when I need it, and it’s been something I’ve been leaning on, so I’m very happy with it.”
Fedde followed a scoreless first inning from opener Grant Taylor — who became the fifth MLB pitcher since at least 1924 to start three times in four days, joining Wilbur Wood for the Sox (July 17-20, 1973), Herman Fink of the Philadelphia Athletics (Sept. 22-25, 1935) and Dick Coffman of the St. Louis Browns (June 30-July 3, 1933). Taylor pitched perfect first innings Friday and Saturday against the Toronto Blue Jays.
“It’s been fun,” Taylor said. “I’ve enjoyed the preparation for it.”
The Orioles scored Monday’s first run on the single by O’Neill in the fourth, with Adley Rutschman racing from first to home. Gunnar Henderson hit a solo home run in the sixth.
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“It was a great day on that (pitching) side,” Venable said. “Starting with Grant, again, did a really nice job getting through the top of the order. And then Fedde was outstanding. Continued to throw strikes, was in total control.
“The first hit there where they scored, a fly ball, the one that got (Hays) hurt. Probably if he’s not hurt, that ball is caught. Just the solo homer from Gunnar. So just a really nice job throughout the day from all those guys. (Reliever Lucas) Sims came in and did a great job (two strikeouts in two scoreless innings) as well.”
The Sox went to the ninth trailing 2-0. Munetaka Murakami and Miguel Vargas began the inning with back-to-back walks. Orioles first baseman Pete Alonso made a diving stop on a hard-hit grounder by Colson Montgomery for the first out, with both runners advancing a base.
Murakami scored when pinch-hitter Lenyn Sosa grounded out to Henderson at shortstop. Benintendi followed with the infield hit to third, giving the Sox runners on the corners with two outs. Orioles reliever Ryan Helsley struck out Edgar Quero to end the game as the Sox (4-6) dropped the series opener.
“It was nice to see the guys continue to battle, just couldn’t get anything going really,” Venable said. “A few hits sprinkled throughout the first eight innings there. We had some pitches to hit, just some soft contact on the ground. Just weren’t able to get anything going.
“But these guys continued to battle (and) had a chance to have the tying run in scoring position against a really good closer.”