Rainout pushes Sox’ Sale back a night
There was a big Chicago game scheduled for Thursday night not involving the Bears.
The White Sox were set to face the Detroit Tigers at U.S. Cellular Field in a rematch of Sox ace Chris Sale and Detroit counterpart Justin Verlander. On Sept. 2, Verlander and the Tigers bested Sale and the White Sox 4-2 at Comerica Park in Detroit.
Rain postponed Round 2 of Sale-Verlander, and Gavin Floyd is scheduled to start for the Sox against Detroit’s Doug Fister when the game is made up Monday at 1:10 p.m. at U.S. Cellular Field.
Sale gets pushed back a day, so he will start Friday night against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Verlander starts against the Indians on Friday night at Cleveland.
“Obviously, I wanted to get back out there and face these guys (Tigers) one last time,” Sale said. “The time before that didn’t go too well, so I wanted to get back out there and get us where we needed to go.
“There’s not much you can do in this situation. I’ll get ready and head out to Minnesota.”
The White Sox still hold a 1-game lead over Detroit in the AL Central after Thursday’s game was called following a 1-hour, 2-minute rain delay.
Major-league baseball made the decision to postpone the game, and the Sox and Tigers both have a day off Monday.
“It was supposed to rain all night,” manager Robin Ventura said. “We wanted to play … both sides wanted to play. You can’t, unless they would have built a roof over it, but they didn’t.
“Both sides, you don’t want to start the game and kind of waste those guys going out there pitching and you don’t get nine innings in. That was the concern.”
Rotation shuffle:With Chris Sale starting Friday night at Minnesota and Gavin Floyd facing the Tigers Monday afternoon at the Cell, Francisco Liriano is back out of the White Sox#146; rotation.Liriano was scheduled to start against his old team Friday night, but Jose Quintana and Jake Peavy are going to stay on schedule and pitch against the Twins on Saturday and Sunday.Tune it out:White Sox manager Robin Ventura was widely criticized for many of his moves, or lack thereof, in back-to-back losses to the Tigers before Thursday night#146;s game against Detroit was rained out.#147;That#146;s just the way it is now,#148; catcher A.J. Pierzynski said. #147;I don#146;t listen to what#146;s being said or what#146;s on the Internet. And I think Robin#146;s been in the game long enough to know that#146;s just part of how it is now. Everybody has an opinion.#148;Ventura was ripped for having Kevin Youkilis bunt, unsuccessfully, and using erratic Francisco Liriano in relief Tuesday.On Wednesday, he was criticized for making the wrong bullpen choices and not pinch hitting for Orlando Hudson, who took a called third strike to seal an 8-6 loss.#147;That#146;s just part of the game,#148; Ventura said Thursday. #147;You look at last night#146;s game, everything changes by the score, every reaction. A pitch a guy throws in a 3-2 game is a lot different than a pitch a guy throws in a 9-1 game.#147;Everything becomes different by what the score is and the pressures and things like that.#147;I don#146;t look at it as stuff that we did. Everything else still follows the same path. Everything changes by the score. But again, part of the job is to get criticized.#148;Still ailing:Even before Thursday night#146;s game was called because of rain, Adam Dunn was not in the lineup because of a strained right oblique.Dunn last played Sept. 5, and while he has not been ruled out for the season, the White Sox#146; designated hitter/first baseman might not be on the field for a while.#147;He feels it still and it#146;s just not worth it,#148; manager Robin Ventura said. #147;It#146;s at that point where he can probably reinjure it if he goes out there and plays. He can do little things without feeling it, but not enough to play and react.#148;sgregor@dailyherald.com