Game Recap: Never Settle, Never Quit. Springer, Gurriel Get the Clutch Hit.

Verlander Regression? Who say dat?

Coming back from several recent poor starts, Justin Verlander silenced doubters with seven strong innings and 10 strikeouts. Just one blemish, a two run sixth inning capped by a Omar Narvaez home run. Great job Justin.

Unfortunately, that tied the game, with the only Astros runs to that point coming from a Jose Altuve 417 foot two run bomb in the fifth.

That’s ok, We’ll put this away. We got the bats, and we got the pen, right?

Chris Devenski, (1.57 ERA), shutdown relief ace, came in to keep the Sox down and set up the Stros bats.

Oops. There goes a long fly ball to right field off the bat of Leury Garcia. Home run. That’s not supposed to happen. The last place White Sox are leading the world champs 3-2.

Well, we still got the bats.

In the bottom of the eighth Yuli Gurriel worked a walk, then stole second, got to third on an Evan Gattis fly out; man on third, one out. We’re gonna tie this game for sure in the eighth. Can’t miss.

Damn. Reddick grounder to first, Gurriel run down at home. Then strike out.

Choke.

Oh well, there are 162 games in a season. You can write one off now and then. After all, closer Joachim Soria was on to finish the game for Chi-town. He hadn’t given up a run in 15 prior appearances. Killer slider, we’ll get em tomorrow.

Hell no. Never settle, never quit.

Bottom of the ninth. Lead off pinch hitter Tony Kemp worked a walk on a 3-2 count. Then pinch hitter Marwin Gonzalez, hitting .095 in the last week, plunked a single into right field, sending speedy Kemp to third.

To the plate came George Springer. His World Series heroics a distant and frustrating memory, he was 0-4 this night, and was hitting .063 in his previous seven games.

Single to left, Kemp scores. Tie game.

Never settle, never quit.

Next, AL player of the month Alex Bregman comes to the plate. He’ll walk it off. He’s the walk off king. Did in the World Series, did it three times this year. Perfect way to win, right?

Humble Alex took a walk to load the bases. Someone else gets to be the hero tonight.

With one out, the man with the highest batting average with runners in scoring position did it again. The pineapple man himself, Yuli Gurriel. Base knock. Marwin scores.

Astros win. Astros win again.

Never settle, never quit.

As the slumping hero of tonight’s game, George Springer said after the game, “we are a family, we play for each other.”

We knew you’d come through George.

Never settle, never quit.

Box score here.