Orioles lose after replay gives White Sox tiebreaking run
CHICAGO (AP) - Baltimore Orioles manager Buck Showalter was hoping for more of an explanation on the game-turning call.
And Chris Tillman continues to wait for his 15th victory.
Omar Narvaez's foul ball turned into a tiebreaking RBI single in the seventh inning after a replay challenge, and the Chicago White Sox beat Tillman and the Orioles 4-2 Saturday night.
With the bases loaded and nobody out, Narvaez hit a popup to shallow left field off Mychal Givens. Third baseman Manny Machado tried to make an over-the-shoulder catch, but the ball dropped and umpire Mike Winters immediately ruled it foul.
Replays showed the ball hit the foul line . The question was if it hit Machado's glove first and, if so, was his glove in fair or foul territory. Pinch-runner J.B. Shuck was awarded home and Narvaez got a single.
Showalter said the ball hit Machado's glove.
"It could've gone either way," Showalter said. "It doesn't matter where it hit the ground if it hit his glove. So, I'm hoping they felt like they had a replay that was definitive enough that he touched it in fair territory because we don't have one. Maybe they've got one."
Nate Jones (5-2) got four outs and David Robertson worked the ninth for his 27th save.
"I think the umpire got blocked out a little bit by Machado," White Sox center fielder Adam Eaton said. "Kind of a tough play for the umpire, but video replay prevailed and we're happy with it."
Tillman (14-4) allowed two singles to lead off the seventh before he was lifted, failing in his third try to get his 15th win.
"It was OK, not good, not bad," Tillman said. "A lot of hard contact, a lot of hard outs, both in the air and on the ground. I'd like to keep that to a minimum. They put some good at-bats together, good approach."
Eaton hit a solo homer in the eighth, while Tyler Saldino also homered and Melky Cabrera added an RBI double for the White Sox, who won for the third time in 10 games.
J.J. Hardy drove in both runs for the Orioles, who stayed percentage points ahead of Toronto atop the AL East.
"September is the time to start looking at (the standings)," Hardy said. "It's a little bit early. Fifty-something games is still a long time. Obviously, we're going out there trying to win every single game we can and see where we're at at the end."
The White Sox went up 1-0 on consecutive doubles by Tim Anderson and Cabrera leading off the first. Saladino's liner to left on an 0-1 changeup in the third made it 2-0 as Tillman struggled with his command.
The Orioles were unlucky in getting only one run in the fourth. Hardy's liner to right-center would have scored two if it didn't bounce into the stands.
White Sox starter Carlos Rodon, who struck out five straight early in the game, allowed Hardy's sacrifice fly for an unearned run in the sixth aided by Anderson's fielding error at shortstop on what could have been a double-play grounder.
Rodon allowed five hits, walked two and struck out seven in six innings, extending his winless streak to nine starts.
"First couple innings, six o'clock game, Rodon's got great stuff, and on top of that you can't see the ball very well," Showalter said. "So I know a couple of our guys came back and say they were trying to guess where it is."
TRAINER'S ROOM
Orioles: LHP T.J. McFarland (knee) is expected to begin a rehab assignment Tuesday at Sarasota, Florida.
DAVIS DROP
Slumping Orioles slugger Chris Davis was dropped to sixth in the order and went 0 for 2 with two walks. Davis is 6 for 60 since July 17 and hasn't homered since July 10.
NO ALVAREZ
Baltimore DH Pedro Alvarez, who had five homers in three games, wasn't in the lineup against the lefty Rodon. Alvarez pinch hit in the ninth and grounded into a fielder's choice.
UP NEXT
Orioles RHP Dylan Bundy (4-3, 3.05 ERA) makes his fifth start Sunday against White Sox RHP James Shields (5-13, 4.92).