Sale, Chicago White Sox come up short against Twins
Nothing is going right for the Chicago White Sox this season.
They haven't hit, played defense or run the bases.
On the pitching side, starter Chris Sale has easily been the star on a so-so staff.
Taking the mound against the Twins on Wednesday afternoon at Target Field, Sale was chasing history.
The 26-year-old lefty was trying to become the first major-league pitcher to strike out 12 or more in 6 straight starts.
Sale made a strong run but fell short with 10 strikeouts in 6⅔ innings. And the Sox fell short again on the scoreboard, falling to Minnesota 6-1.
Along with Hall of Famers Pedro Martinez and Randy Johnson, Sale was the only pitcher in history to strike out 12 or more in 5 straight starts. He joins Martinez, Johnson and Nolan Ryan as the only pitchers since 1914 to have seven straight games with 10 or more strikeouts.
"I appreciate it and it's cool, but it'd be a lot better if we were winning more games, for sure," Sale told reporters after allowing 6 runs (5 earned) on 8 hits.
The Twins are one of the very few teams that have figured out how to hit the White Sox' ace. Sale is 1-3 with a 6.46 ERA in 4 starts against Minnesota this season. He is 5-1 with a 1.88 ERA against everyone else.
"It just gives you a feeling that if you grind it out, you might have a chance to find a way," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "He's one of those guys that is going to make you look bad from time to time, but you've got to look at each at-bat and each inning as a new opportunity."
The Twins' big innings were the fourth and seventh, when they scored 3 runs each time.
"(Minnesota) finds a way to get it done when they get guys on base," manager Robin Ventura said after the Sox lost for the 10th time in 13 games. "We've got to muster something better than we did today. We're beating that drum a lot.
"If (Sale) goes out there, and every guy that's going out there, if you're feeling like you give up more than 2 and you're going to get beat, it's tough to pitch like that."
In his previous start, Friday against the Texas Rangers at U.S. Cellular Field, Sale pitched 8 shutout innings and had 14 strikeouts, getting a no-decision in a 2-1 loss.
"We'll be fine," Sale said after losing to the Twins.
Maybe, but when?
The White Sox' bats were quiet again after breaking out in Tuesday's 6-2 win over Minnesota.
Adam LaRoche's solo home run off Phil Hughes in the second inning gave the Sox the early lead, but that was it for the offense.
Defensively, third baseman Conor Gillaspie, shortstop Alexei Ramirez and center fielder Adam Eaton made errors, and Eaton also caught Ventura's attention when he failed to run hard to first base in the fifth inning.
"I need to run every ball out," Eaton said. "I've done a good job running things out and playing hard. I have to run every ball out and there is no excuse."
White Sox vs. Detroit Tigers at U.S. Cellular Field
TV: WGN today and Sunday; Comcast SportsNet Friday-Saturday
Radio: WSCR 670-AM
Pitching matchups: The Sox' Carlos Rodon (3-1) vs. Alfredo Simon (7-4) today at 12:08 p.m.; Jose Quintana (3-7) vs. Anibal Sanchez (6-7) Friday at 6:08 p.m.; John Danks (3-8) vs. Kyle Ryan (1-1) Saturday at 3:08 p.m.; Jeff Samardzija (5-4) vs. David Price (7-2) Sunday at 12:08 p.m.
At a glance: The White Sox are buried in last place in the AL Central and have the worst road record (13-25) in the league. The Sox are 4-5 vs. the Tigers this season (1-2 at Comerica Park). Detroit has designated hitter Victor Martinez back and has scored 29 runs in its last four games. The White Sox have scored 4 or more runs only once in their last 11 games. Rodon makes his first career start against the Tigers.
Next: St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium, Tuesday-Wednesday
- Scot Gregor