Griffin Canning Struggles as Mets Drop Series Finale to White Sox
With severe storms in the forecast for the Queens area of New York on Wednesday evening, the series finale between White Sox (17-38) and Mets (34-21) was moved from a 7:10 p.m. start to a 1:10 p.m. afternoon matinee. Right-handed pitcher Shane Smith (1-3, 2.68 ERA) took the mound for Chicago against right-handed pitcher Griffin Canning (5-1, 3.23 ERA) for the Mets, who were looking for the series sweep and to keep their four-game winning streak alive.
Canning, who has been electric through the first two months of the season, did not have his best stuff on Wednesday. Every pitcher has some rough games along the way and this was one of those days for Canning. He was roughed up by the White Sox quickly, giving up three earned runs on four hits and four walks, not surviving more than three innings on the mound in an uncharacteristically rough game.
The Mets’ offense also struggled again with runners on the bases. They were 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position and left 11 on base as the White Sox went on to outhit the Mets 12-5 and defeat them 9-4 to take Game 3 of the series.
Griffin Canning (46) Credit: Lucas Boland-Imagn Images
Canning gave up a one-out walk in the first that was followed by a double by Miguel Vargas to put two runners in scoring position. Andrew Benintendi took advantage and hit a two-run single that made it 2-0 Chicago early.
Sloppy fielding in the second allowed the White Sox to pick up where they left off in the first. Errors by Baty and McNeil in the inning allowed the first to batters to reach. Two batters later, Mike Tauchman hit a double that drove in two more to make it a 4-0 White Sox lead.
The White Sox added on again in the third. Lenyn Sosa led off with a double. Canning then walked Edgar Quero. Two batters later, with runners having been advanced into scoring position, Josh Rojas grounded out to first, but another run scored to give the White Sox a 5-0 lead.
The Mets showed signs of life in the bottom of the third. Back-to-back walks of Brandon Nimmo and Juan Soto put two on. After the next two batters failed to reach, it was Mark Vientos who came up big with a long three-run home run to right field — his sixth home run of 2025 — to make it a 5-3 game and put the Mets within striking distance.
That was all for Canning as left-handed pitcher Brandon Waddell (0-0, 2.45 ERA) replaced Canning on the mound in the fourth.
Waddell worked his way out of trouble in the fourth and retired the White Sox in order in the fifth, but the White Sox tacked on two more runs in the sixth.
After Tauchman doubled for the second time, with one on and two out in the sixth, Benintendi hit a triple down the right field line that drove in drove in the White Sox’ sixth run of the day. He was followed by an RBI single from Sosa that scored Benintendi to extend Chicago’s lead to 7-3.
The White Sox added to their lead in the seventh with a sacrifice fly by Michael A. Taylor to make it 8-3, and then in the eighth Benintendi continued his huge day with a solo home run to right field to give the White Sox a 9-3 lead.
The Mets tried to get something going in the ninth, but only drove in one more run on an RBI double by Pete Alonso to get a run back and cut the White Sox’ lead to five, making it 9-4.
But the Mets were unable to come back as the White Sox went on to defeat the Mets 9-4, taking the final game of the series and snapping the Mets’ win streak at four.
Player of the Game
Wednesday’s player of the game was Brandon Nimmo. He was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and walked twice, reaching in four of his five RBIs.
On Deck
The Mets have a day off on Thursday in New York. On Friday, they welcome the struggling Colorado Rockies to Citi Field for a three-game weekend series before traveling out to Los Angeles on Monday.
The Rockies’ probable pitchers are to be determined for this weekend. The Mets’ probable pitchers for the upcoming series against the Rockies are:
- Friday, May 30 – Right-handed pitcher David Peterson (3-2, 2.79 ERA, 54 SO).
- Saturday, May 31 – Right-handed pitcher Kodai Senga (5-3, 1.46 ERA, 52 SO).
- Sunday, June 1 – Right-handed pitcher Clay Holmes (5-3, 2.98 ERA, 56 SO).
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