White Sox, Orioles split doubleheader caused by last month's riots
BALTIMORE - The Chicago White Sox were a weary bunch after playing 18 innings during a one-day stop in Baltimore.
Chris Sale struck out 12 over 7 2-3 shutout innings to lead Chicago to a 3-2 victory in Thursday's Game 1 against the Orioles, who rebounded to win the second game 6-3 in a doubleheader caused by rioting in Baltimore last month.
The doubleheader was scheduled after games on April 27-28 were postponed because of violence and looting near Camden Yards following the funeral of Freddie Gray, a black man who died of injuries sustained while in police custody. The third game of that series was played without fans in the stadium.
A crowd of 18,441 showed up Thursday.
The White Sox came from Toronto for the doubleheader and departed for a trip to Houston after the game.
"It was supposed to be an off day for us," manager Robin Ventura said. "We come in from a long stretch in Canada. You come in here and play two games and you're off again. It is what it is. ... Now we're all tired."
The nightcap featured a matchup of rookie right-handers. Chris Beck (0-1) made his major league debut for the White Sox and Mike Wright (2-0) was starting for the third time after scoreless appearances against the Angels and Miami.
Wright's spotless ERA vanished on his fifth pitch, when Adam Eaton hit a solo shot to center.
Beck got off to a similar start, allowing a triple to leadoff hitter Manny Machado and an RBI double to Chris Davis.
Adam LaRoche hit a two-run homer in the third for Chicago. Steve Clevenger and J.J. Hardy delivered RBI singles in the bottom half for a 4-3 lead.
Wright went five innings, allowing three runs and six hits.
Zach Britton, the fourth Baltimore reliever, worked a perfect ninth for his 13th save.
Beck, Chicago's second-round pick in the 2012 draft, gave up four earned runs, 10 hits and four walks in six innings. He was called up from Triple-A Charlotte before the game as the 26th player in the doubleheader.
"Unfortunately I didn't get the job done," he said. "It is something to build on and to take back to Charlotte with me."
Sale (4-2) dominated the Orioles in the opener, setting a season high in strikeouts, allowing four hits and no walks. He was pulled after striking out Caleb Joseph and Everth Cabrera to raise his pitch count to 120.
"My main objective today was to fill in innings and get as deep as I could into the ballgame," the left-hander said.
Zach Duke struck out Machado on a check-swing to end the eighth, with Machado getting ejected for arguing the call. After Tyler Flowers hit a run-scoring grounder in the ninth for a 3-0 lead, Duke added two more strikeouts in the bottom half before Delmon Young singled and Davis homered.
Jake Petricka then struck out Snider for his first save.
Making his first major league start following two appearances as a reliever this month, Tyler Wilson (1-1) matched zeros with Sale until the sixth.
Eaton drew a leadoff walk, Melky Cabrera hit an opposite-field RBI double and scored on a one-out double by LaRoche, who had three hits.
"The biggest take-away obviously is walking that leadoff guy in the sixth inning. Can't happen," Wilson said.
Wilson allowed two runs, five hits and a walk in six innings.
MATUSZ HEARING SET
Orioles LHP Brian Matusz will have his appeal of an eight-game suspension heard on June 3. He received the suspension Monday after being ejected from a game in Miami on Saturday for having a foreign substance on his right arm.
TRAINER'S ROOM
White Sox: 3B Avisail Garcia was not in the starting lineup for either game because of inflammation in his right knee.
Orioles: C Matt Wieters (elbow) was behind the plate for Double-A Bowie on Thursday.
UP NEXT
White Sox: Carlos Rodon (1-0, 4.03 ERA) takes the mound for the opener of a three-game series in Houston.
Orioles: Baltimore plays its third different opponent in as many days when Miguel Gonzalez (5-3) faces the Tampa Bay Rays and RHP Nathan Karns.