CLEVELAND -- Jimmy Lambert had made two relief appearances with the 2020 White Sox, before his start Monday night in a 3-1 loss to the Indians during Game 2 of a doubleheader at Progressive Field.
But the No. 16 White Sox prospect, per MLB Pipeline, still said Monday’s inaugural career start felt like his Major League debut.
“It's kind of indescribable how it felt to be back,” Lambert said. “When you get sent out of here, there's no telling if you're going to be back, especially with the arm troubles I've had in the past. It was special to be out there. I would have loved to pitch to a win, but I'm definitely happy to have gotten my first start under my belt. I'm overall OK with how I threw."
“He wasn’t afraid at all. I thought he handled himself very well,” White Sox manager Tony La Russa said. “He’s an outstanding prospect. It won’t be long before he’s pitching in the big leagues with the White Sox.”
Lambert was added as the club’s 27th man for the doubleheader, which they split after claiming an 8-6 victory in eight innings during Game 1, maintaining their 3 1/2-game lead over the Indians in the American League Central. And the 26-year-old’s start could be and should be considered a success.
In 3 2/3 innings and 74 pitches, Lambert yielded seven hits, struck out four and walked one, getting three swings and misses on his changeup and two on his four-seam fastball, per Statcast. Lambert’s one real mistake came in the third, when he got behind José Ramírez at 3-1 and hung a changeup, which Ramírez launched for his 13th home run.
Some observers believed Lambert had a legitimate case for a Major League bullpen spot out of Spring Training. But the White Sox saw pitchers such as Lambert and Jonathan Stiever as needed rotation depth, getting them stretched out at Triple-A Charlotte for a situation such as this one. After missing most of the 2020 season due to a right forearm strain and most of 2019 due to Tommy John surgery, Lambert was glad to take the mound in Cleveland.
“My changeup was feeling good for most of the game, the first inning especially,” Lambert said. “Second time through, yeah they had seen it, but the quality of the pitch wasn't as good as it was in the first inning and even maybe in the second inning, when they strung a couple of hits together.
“I kind of went into the game just knowing I can trust Yaz [catcher Yasmani Grandal], and he puts in so much work. For the most part it went OK."
Ryan Burr relieved Lambert in the fourth, making his first Major League appearance since May 24, 2019, after dealing with recovery from Tommy John surgery. He threw 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief, striking out two, including Ramírez. José Ruiz followed Burr and struck out two in a scoreless sixth, topping out at 99.2 mph, per Statcast.
The White Sox put their leadoff hitter on base in each of the last four innings but couldn’t manage to score. Jake Lamb opened the seventh with a single off Emmanuel Clase, but he struck out pinch-hitter Leury García, Billy Hamilton and Nick Madrigal to end the game.
La Russa could not go to Andrew Vaughn as a pinch-hitter in the seventh because allergies sidelined him for both games. The White Sox winning streak ended at five, as their hitters struck out a combined 26 times, but they still managed to finish May with a 19-10 record.
They also got a glimpse of further Minor League assistance on this push for the AL Central title and beyond in the form of Lambert and Burr.
“I’m just looking at what he has to work with. He has four pitches,” La Russa said of Lambert. “He didn’t get beat because he was walking guys. He got beat because he threw the ball for strikes, and give the hitters credit. He only gave up three. A lot of times our offense does better and we’ve got a game.”
“I was in the clubhouse for most of the first game, and guys come in and out,” Lambert said. “And guys, they want to win. That's what this is all about, and every time I came [back] into the dugout, it was, 'Way to keep us in the game,' stuff like that. It's all about the win, that's all that matters. And it adds a little bit more to each outing, that's for sure, to each inning, to each pitch. It's a lot of fun to pitch for a team that's maybe one of the best in baseball."