Burger, Colás come up big for hungry White Sox

CHICAGO -- A burger and colas make for a hearty meal anywhere in Chicago.

It also made for a winning combination in the White Sox 7-6 walk-off victory over the Orioles in 10 innings on Saturday afternoon at Guaranteed Rate Field. Burger and Colás with capital letters, that is, with Jake Burger launching a game-tying two-run home run in the sixth and Oscar Colás delivering the first walk-off hit of his career on a single to right that scored pinch-runner Seby Zavala in the 10th.

This young duo helped halt a three-game losing streak for the White Sox (6-9).

“Overall, it was a much needed win, a team win,” manager Pedro Grifol said. “I love watching these guys celebrate on the field.”

“You’re going to go through skids, and ours just happened to be earlier,” Burger said. “You saw a lot of fight out there and a lot of guys coming through in big moments.”

Burger set up Colás in the 10th with a line-drive single to left that moved Zavala -- who entered as a pinch-runner after catcher Yasmani Grandal dropped a double down the left-field line to tie the game on the first pitch of the frame -- to third. It was Burger’s sixth hit but first single of the season.

Burger’s home run in the sixth carried 402 feet to left, but it had a little non-baseball emphasis behind it.

“I was pretty upset about Bournemouth beating Tottenham today, so I had to take out some aggression on the ball today,” said a smiling Burger. “It’s controlling what I can control and not trying to get too big. And it’s been fun. Hopefully, I just keep it up and keep it going.”

“Even during [batting practice] we’re usually in the same group, and watching him hitting in BP is impressive,” Colás said of Burger through interpreter Billy Russo. “Now seeing him in the games is more impressive.”

While Burger is playing regularly at third base as Yoán Moncada works through a tight lower back, Colás has been the team’s right fielder since Opening Day. Grifol has stressed that the development process for the 24-year-old is ongoing at the Major League level.

In fact, it’s really just beginning. But the instructions from Grifol simply were for Colás to calm down and enjoy the game before he connected on a changeup low in the zone.

“He’s got to go through this. It’s simple,” Grifol said. “He’s going to be a really good player. And these are the situations that are going to expedite that. I was comfortable with him at the plate there, and if he doesn’t get it done, the next guy will have to get it done.”

“Yes, it was definitely a very tense moment. But I went up there looking to make good contact, because I knew with the runner on third base, if I was able to make good contact I was going to be able to bring him in,” Colás said. “That was a very important at-bat with a lot of pressure, and then for me to be able to come through in that moment was very important.”

It was a good enough moment to overcome the 10 walks issued by White Sox pitching, giving them a total of 19 free passes in the last two games. It’s the most for them in a two-game span since April 24-26, 2022, when the team issued 20 walks with an off-day in between.

That walk issue is being addressed, although Grifol declined to go into specifics.

“We’ve got to attack the strike zone,” Grifol said. “But that’s something on-going, and I’ll keep that in-house.”

It was a good enough moment to overcome an 0-for-9 start with runners in scoring position, as Chicago went 3-for-3 with RISP in the 10th. It provided a crucial victory, giving the White Sox a chance at their first 2023 series win with ace-hurler Dylan Cease on the mound Sunday.

“Obviously, we came through,” Burger said. “It just took us until the end.”

“Everybody knows what this team is capable of,” said starter Michael Kopech, who got a no-decision after yielding three runs on six hits and four walks over five-plus innings. “Once it starts clicking all together, it's going to be a lot of fun to watch. Right now, we're having to pick each other up at different times, and it was good to see that work out today."