Rodon sharp and White Sox get help from replay in win
When the ball left Jose Abreu's bat in the second inning of the White Sox's victory at Detroit on Thursday, the big slugger had just one thing passing through his mind:
“Finally.”
Finally, a 32-game homerless drought had come to an end.
Finally … after 124 at-bats.
Finally.
“It was very difficult, but not just because I couldn't hit the homers,” Abreu said before the Sox beat Baltimore 4-2 in front of 28,491 at U.S. Cellular Field on Saturday. “It's because I couldn't hit homers and the team wasn't performing the way everybody wants the team to perform. That was probably the most frustrating part of the stretch.”
Abreu managed to homer again Friday in a 7-5 loss to Baltimore. He now has 13 on the season and is on pace for just 19, a far cry from the 33 he averaged in his first two major-league seasons.
So why the drought? Well, the 6-foot-3, 255-pound Cuban said it was “a little bit of everything” from the pitchers attacking him in different ways to him not having the right approach at the plate. Abreu admitted he was pressing more and more the longer the drought went on.
“But I kept working hard and finally I got the homer against the Tigers,” he said. “That's part of the game; that's why you have to be mentally strong.”
The slugger went 0-for-3 Saturday, but the Sox (53-57) still managed to win for just the third time in 10 games thanks to Carlos Rodon's ability to shut down a tough Orioles lineup.
Rodon, who had given up a ghastly 14 earned runs over 17 innings in his last 3 starts, allowed the first two Orioles to reach base but then retired 10 straight hitters — six via strikeout.
The second-year pitcher let out a loud scream and slapped his mitt after striking out Steve Pearce on a 93-mph slider to end the first inning.
“He has it. He always has it,” Sox manager Robin Ventura said of Rodon showing emotion.
“Sometimes it's directed at a water cooler, but he has it. He has great stuff. He has the fire and everything that's in there. You're just hoping that it gets directed at home plate.”
Rodon, who allowed 2 runs (1 earned) on 5 hits in 6 innings, was pumping 97- and 98-mph fastballs at the Orioles all night, and he even hit 100 at least once.
“Any of those guys can hurt you,” Rodon said. “That was the mindset. I was like, 'You can't just leave it over the plate. They'll hit you out.' I had to go full-bore at 'em, especially when it's a close game like that.”
With the game tied at 2-2, Justin Morneau and Todd Frazier chased Orioles starter Chris Tillman (14-4) by leading off the seventh inning with back-to-back singles. Avisail Garcia followed with a line-drive base hit to right that loaded the bases.
That brought catcher Omar Narvaez to the plate, and he came through with a bloop single to left field that was originally ruled foul by third-base umpire Mike Winters.
The replay, though, showed chalk flew when the ball hit the ground, giving Narvaez an RBI and the Sox a 3-2 lead.
“For a young guy nerves don't seem to get to him,” said Adam Eaton, who batted third and homered in the eighth inning for the final tally.
“He had a standing O during his 3-2 count and it's easy to let those nerves get to you and swing at a pitch out of the zone. …
“That shows a lot about his maturity and his preparation that he has before (the game). Hats off to him for getting that hit.”
Narvaez is 6-for-14 in the five games he's played in this season.
Nate Jones (5-2) got the win for Ventura's squad by pitching 1.1 scoreless innings, and David Robertson picked up his 27th save.