Shield recovers from early trouble, but too late for Chicago White Sox
James Shields retired 13 of the final 14 Cubs he faced Saturday at Wrigley Field, which should have been a promising stat for the Chicago White Sox.
Instead, the right-hander's outing is going to be judged on the first inning, where Shields allowed 4 runs on 4 hits and 2 walks.
"I just didn't make any of my pitches in the first inning," Shields said after the Sox's 8-4 loss. "Wasn't hitting my spots. Honestly the (Anthony) Rizzo home run was a really good pitch, down and away on the black. Good piece of hitting right there. I just wasn't hitting my spots in the first inning and had to settle in after that."
Like Willson Contreras' grand slam off starter Carson Fulmer in the first inning of Friday's series opener, Rizzo's 3-run shot off Shields put the White Sox in a deep early hole.
They did rally from an 8-1 deficit on Matt Davidson's 3-run homer off Carl Edwards Jr. in the eighth inning, and Jose Abreu came to the plate with the bases loaded representing the tying run in the ninth. Abreu grounded out to end the game as the Sox lost their seventh straight.
"We're going to put everything into a game," Shields said. "As a starter you know you let up that many runs in the first inning, and you try to go as deep as you possibly can.
"I went 6 (innings), and I felt like I could have gone a little deeper if I needed to. But, you know, we're going to fight and at the end of the day we're going to keep doing what we're doing and grinding out."
Change in plans:
On the disabled list since April 19 with an inflamed right rotator cuff, White Sox starter Miguel Gonzalez appeared to be close to going on a minor-league rehabilitation assignment.
That plan is being delayed.
"He took a little bit of a step back (Friday), so we're going to continue to evaluate him and see where he's at," manager Rick Renteria said.
Here's Johnny:
The White Sox signed 30-year-old second baseman Johnny Giavotella and assigned him to Class AA Birmingham.
Giavotella played in 10 games for Class AAA New Orleans in the Miami Marlins' system this season and was released after batting .214.
A veteran of seven major-league seasons, Giavotella's best year came in 2015, when he batted .272 with 4 home runs and 49 RBI in 129 games with the Los Angeles Angels.