Luis Robert Jr. has had some memorable moments at Wrigley Field, including hitting a go-ahead home run in the seventh inning of an Aug. 15 game against the Cubs last season.
He found himself in position to do it again in his return to the White Sox after being reinstated from the injured list Tuesday.
The All-Star center fielder broke a tie with a 448-foot solo home run to center field in the seventh inning of the City Series at Wrigley Field. But the Cubs responded with two runs in the eighth to beat the Sox 7-6 in front of 38,397.
A rally in the ninth got cut short when reliever Héctor Neris picked off Duke Ellis at second base for the second out of the inning as the Sox went on to their 12th-straight defeat. It’s tied for the second-longest losing streak in team history, last accomplished Sept. 10-22, 1927.
Robert went 2-for-4 with the home run and two runs in his first game since suffering a right hip flexor strain on April 5.
“Being back and getting that first fly ball and tracking the ball, it was a little adjustment,” Robert said through an interpreter. “But after that, I was comfortable.”
Robert said that he finished the game healthy, “That’s what’s most important.”
Manager Pedro Grifol said the performance was “Typical Luis.”
“He gets up there and he’ll have an at-bat where he’ll swing-and-miss a couple of times and then all of a sudden they’ll leave one out over the plate and he’ll hit it 400 feet,” Grifol said. “He looked pretty good. He looked like his timing was right, which is important to me.
“We did a good job of making sure he got enough (at-bats) down there (during his rehab assignment). I was a little concerned with the (rain) delay where he had to stop for 40-45 minutes and then crank it back up again. But he felt good, he kept hitting and he kept running around and he was good after that. It’s really nice to see him out there in center field.”
Robert said of the 42-minute delay in the fifth, “I was a little scared before, but I was able to warm up properly and do all the things I needed to do in order to get back to the game warm. And then once we were back, I felt good.”
And he stepped up to the moment a couple of innings later, hitting an 0-1 sweeper from Hayden Wesneski for his third home run of the season.
“I laid off the first pitch, just trying to see what he was throwing, and then I was aggressive on the second one and able to hit the ball hard,” Robert said.
Robert has been on the IL since April 6. He sustained the injury in the ninth inning of the previous night’s game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium.
His return was one of six roster moves announced ahead of the City Series against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. The Sox also placed outfielders Tommy Pham (left ankle sprain) and Dominic Fletcher (left shoulder strain) on the 10-day IL, recalled Zach DeLoach from Triple-A Charlotte, called up Ellis from Double-A Birmingham and designated infielder Zach Remillard for assignment.
Photos: White Sox at Cubs renews City Series rivalry at Wrigley Field
Tuesday marked just the eighth game of the season for Robert. He entered the night 6-for-28 (.214) with two doubles, two home runs and four RBIs.
He went 2-for-20 with one home run, three RBIs and three runs for the Knights after going 1-for-7 with one home run and one RBI in three games with the Arizona Complex League White Sox.
The Sox desperately need some offensive help. They have played chunks of the season without their No. 3 hitter Robert as well as No. 2 hitter Yoán Moncada and cleanup batter Eloy Jiménez. Another regular, left fielder Andrew Benintendi, went on the IL Sunday. And first baseman Andrew Vaughn missed the weekend series against the Milwaukee Brewers while dealing with a sprained finger on his left hand. Vaughn went 2-for-4 in his return on Tuesday.
Robert’s return comes just as the Sox lost Pham. The outfielder has been one of the more consistent offensive players for the Sox, slashing .280/.331/.402 with seven doubles, three homers, 12 RBIs and 19 runs in 33 games. He suffered the injury sliding into home plate in the eighth inning Sunday at Milwaukee, a play that was followed by words being exchanged and Pham being restrained by teammates.
“It seems like it’s been happening all year,” Grifol said before the game of the timing of losing Pham while getting Robert back. “We’ve just got to keep going. No excuses.”
Fletcher also suffered his injury Sunday, when he crashed into the right-center field wall while taking away a home run in the seventh inning.
Pham’s and Fletcher’s IL stints are retroactive to Monday.
This is DeLoach’s second stint with the Sox.
Ellis, 26, made his major-league debut Tuesday. He ranks second in minors this season with 34 stolen bases in 35 attempts. And was called on as a pinch runner after Oscar Colás walked with the team down a run in the ninth. Ellis stole second easily, but got picked off the base for out number two.
“That was the situation I wanted to be in,” Ellis said of the debut. “I’m glad they trust me to be in that situation and hopefully there will be a lot more to come behind that. All I can do is learn from it and be better for the next one.
“For the next time I’m in that situation, trust the instincts and go on the first jump. Then we don’t have to worry about it.”
The Sox saw leads of 5-0 and 6-5 slip away on the way to losing for the 16th time in their last 17 games. With a record of 15-46, the Sox are off to their worst 61-game start in franchise history.
“We’ve got to close these things out, we really do,” Grifol said. “And when I say close them out, I don’t just mean pitching or anything like that. I mean as a group, coaches, manager, you name it. We’ve got to close these games out.”
