Sale continues to get job done for Sox
If Wednesday night was a preview to 2014, the White Sox should be feeling pretty good about their future.
Chris Sale is presently the ace of the staff, and the 24-year-old lefty was once again brilliant in the Sox’ 6-1 victory over the Astros at U.S. Cellular Field.
So were a pair of newcomers — 22-year-old center fielder Avisail Garcia and 22-year-old shortstop Leury Garcia.
“Honestly, the Garcia boys stole the show tonight,” Sale said after the White Sox won for the 10th time in 12 games. “What an unbelievable job they did tonight. A big homer (from Avisail), and I think both of them were involved in every run scored, so hats off to them. They won it for us.”
There’s little doubt Avisail (3-for-4, 3 RBI) and Leury (2 walks, 2 runs, stolen base, sacrifice fly) perked up the Sox’ offense, but Sale deserved the biggest spotlight after pitching 8 innings and allowing 1 run on 4 hits while striking out 12.
Sale (10-12) was overwhelming early in the game, retiring 14 of the first 15 Houston hitters he faced, nine of them on strikeouts.
“Early, especially with the strikeouts, he was sharp,” manager Robin Ventura said. “I think later the pitch count got up. It was probably a little more fatigue than anything.
“But that was pretty much as good as he’s been all year. He’s just getting ahead and throwing strikes. He’s very tough when he’s got everything going, and tonight was one of those nights.”
Sale has struck out 12 or more batters four times this season, a franchise record. And he tied Juan Pizarro and Ed Walsh for the White Sox’ all-time lead with 6 starts having 12 or more strikeouts.
“Yeah, but it’s something that I don’t really want to clutter my mind with,” Sale said when asked if he’s aware of the records. “I still have a job to do. Those are things that at the end of the season when you’re at your house you might look back on them.
“But for right now there is only one record that matters, and that’s the record of getting more wins.”
Avisail Garcia all but sealed Sale’s fourth win in his last 5 starts with a 3-run homer — his first with the Sox — in the seventh inning. Garcia drove a 2-2 pitch from reliever Lucas Harrell 415 feet to center field.
“I waited for that one,” Garcia said. “I just tried to look in for that pitch inside and I got it and hit it good.”
Leury Garcia started at shortstop for Alexei Ramirez and walked and scored in the first inning and walked, stole second, advanced to third base on a throwing error and motored home on Jeff Keppinger’s sacrifice fly in the seventh.
In the eighth inning, Garcia hit a sacrifice fly to score Dayan Viciedo. He also played a smooth, athletic game at shortstop with the exception of one errant throw.
“He had a nice ballgame tonight,” Ventura said. “Playing for the second night (in a row), he just seems to be in the middle of everything. And when you have that kind of speed to get on and everybody knows you’re probably going, and to steal it and get in scoring position and then score on a pretty shallow flyball, that kind of speed is not everywhere.”
sgregor@dailyherald.com