After erupting for eight runs in a comeback win against the Cincinnati Reds, the Los Angeles Dodgers only pushed two across on Saturday afternoon but still defeated the Chicago White Sox in a shutout.
They came on an Austin Barnes home run in the second inning, giving him a team-leading 12 RBI in Spring Training. The home run was Barnes’ second of the year.
He’s had an impressive showing in Cactus League play thus far, which is an encouraging sign for Barnes and the Dodgers. He was expected to build off a strong finish to the 2017 season but instead regressed at the plate.
The Dodgers have expressed confidence in Barnes and Russell Martin combining to offset the production lost with Yasmani Grandal joining the Milwaukee Brewers.
With Barnes providing a lead against the White Sox, the Dodgers pitching staff combined to keep the White Sox off the board. Tony Gonsolin escaped some trouble in the first to get through three shutout innings. He hasn’t allowed a run in nine innings across four games (two starts) this spring.
Scott Alexander, Kenley Jansen, Joe Kelly and Pedro Baez each threw a scoreless inning. They combined for eight strikeouts, with Kelly striking out the side.
