Chicago White Sox on win over Texas: We'll take it
It wasn't pretty, not that the Chicago White Sox are interested in style points.
Looking to snap an eight-game losing streak Saturday afternoon against Texas, the Sox' offense was once again hard to watch.
They loaded the bases in the first inning and came away empty.
They loaded the bases in the fifth and came away empty.
But the White Sox loaded the bases in the third inning and got lucky.
"We'll take what we can get at this point," manager Robin Ventura said after the Sox edged the Rangers 3-2 at U.S. Cellular Field.
With the White Sox up 1-0 and the bases full and one out in the third, Alexei Ramirez grounded to Elvis Andrus for what should have been an inning-ending double play.
Instead, Andrus booted the ball for an error, the Sox scored a pair of unearned runs and starting pitcher Carlos Rodon (3-1) and relievers Zach Putnam, Zach Duke and David Robertson made it hold up.
"Just a bunch of fighters, man," Rodon said after pitching 6 innings and allowing 2 runs on 4 hits. "Everybody works hard. Everybody gets here 1:30 (p.m.), 1 o'clock. People don't realize that. Some guys even stay after and they lift. We come in every day, work hard and like I said, a bunch of fighters that don't give up."
Rodon bounced back from a rough start against the Pirates in Pittsburgh Monday, when he gave up 7 runs on 9 hits in 3.2 innings.
"You just have to forget about it, put it behind you," said Rodon, who is 3-0 with a 1.88 ERA in his last four starts at the Cell. "As soon as that game is over, it was tough to put it behind me, but forget about it, have my side, try to get better and then I came out and competed today."
Rodon got into a jam in the fifth inning, allowing 2 runs on 2 hits and a walk. But with the tying run on second base, he struck out Shin-Soo Choo to escape further trouble.
"The inning they got a couple runs, he kind of lost his feel a little bit," catcher Tyler Flowers said. "Command kind of became a little bit of an issue, but I think that's a good sign to get out of that inning and then have another good one after that. He did a good job limiting the free passes. We executed pitches."
There was finally music in the postgame clubhouse, and now the Sox will try to build some needed momentum.
"Carlos pitched his tail off," said Robertson, who saved Saturday's game after blowing a 1-0 lead in the ninth inning Friday night. "The guys played hard all game. We had a few things happen for us in the field which we needed to happen. We ended up with more than runs and we got a win. We'll take it."
Said Ventura: "Any time you go on a skid like this, it's always nice to (win). You get that feeling away from you. But you can only feel good about it for a little while and you get back after it. You have to be able to continue momentum with it but there's a game tomorrow. So these guys will be preparing for tomorrow."