White Sox bats, gloves let them down in 3-2 loss to Rays
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - The Chicago White Sox bats weren't enough to overcome their only error in a 3-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays.
Matt Moore struck out 10 over 6 1/3 innings, Brandon Guyer tied a career high with four hits and the Rays sent the White Sox home on their first two-game losing streak of the season Sunday.
Jose Quintana (1-1) gave up three runs, seven hits and had six strikeouts in six innings for Chicago, which finished its six-game road trip with two losses after winning five in a row. The left-hander entered with a four-game winning streak dating to last season, but his defensive lapse brought in the decisive run in Sunday's loss.
Logan Forsythe hit a leadoff double in the third, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on Guyer's second hit. Guyer scored to make it 3-1 when Quintana was charged with an error after missing first base with his foot while covering the bag on Logan Morrison's two-out grounder.
"I had the base in front of me and it was a good play (by first baseman Jose Abreu)," Quintana said, "but I never saw the base. That was the problem. I just missed the base."
Quintana lost for the sixth time in the last two seasons when yielding two earned runs or fewer.
"He's a guy, he'll bend a little bit but he didn't break," said Rays manager Kevin Cash. "We just could not quite separate the game. We had a couple opportunities and we didn't. He kept it right there and gave them a chance to win."
Moore (1-0) allowed two runs and five hits, and improved to 4-1 in five career starts against the White Sox. After Enny Romero worked a perfect inning, Alex Colome got the final five outs for the Rays' first save this season.
"We've been struggling, but I don't know too many teams that would go up against Moore and do anything," said White Sox manager Robin Ventura. "He was fantastic."
The White Sox scored only five runs in the three-game series and struck out 28 times, including 12 times Sunday. Cleanup hitter Todd Frazier struck out in all four at bats.
"It's a rough stretch, but if you told me we'd be 8-4 right now I'd take it any day of the week," said Frazier. "(I) might be trying to do too much. In a stretch like this, you have to hit strikes and I haven't been doing that. We missed a lot of pitches."
Forsythe (bruised left hip and lower leg) and center fielder Kevin Kiermaier (head bruise) were both back in the lineup after missing Saturday's game. They were hurt when they collided chasing a pop fly in shallow right center during Friday night's game.
Avisail Garcia ended Moore's day with an RBI single in the seventh that cut the Chicago deficit to 3-2.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Rays: Closer Brad Boxberger (adductor surgery) continues a throwing program and could return in the middle of May.
NO BREAK
The White Sox were on the fifth day in a stretch of playing 19 consecutive days until an off day May 2. "You try to get some guys a day here and there," Ventura said. Both SS Jimmy Rollins and OF Melky Cabrera were out of the starting lineup. Cabrera walked as a pinch hitter in the ninth.
UP NEXT
White Sox: RHP Carlos Rodon (1-1) will face Los Angeles Angels LHP Hector Santiago (0-0) Monday night in the opener of a four-game series in Chicago.
Rays: LHP Drew Smyly (0-2) is scheduled to start against Boston RHP Joe Kelly (1-0) in the first of three games at Fenway Park Tuesday night.