Bad timing in Texas
ARLINGTON, Texas - The all-star break starts on Monday.
The way the White Sox went out and played against the Rangers on Friday night, it sure looked like they had their calendars messed up.
In the worst start of his fledgling career with the Sox, Gavin Floyd failed to make it out of the third inning while allowing 6 runs on 5 hits and 7 walks.
That set the tone for a miserable, uncomfortably warm night at Rangers Ballpark in a 7-2 loss to Texas.
"You come to this ballpark with this hitting club and you don't throw strikes, you'll be in the shower quick,'' White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said. "Those guys (Rangers) can hit, and you have to attack the strike zone. If you try to be cute out there, you're going to get hurt.''
Ugly was the best word to describe Floyd's abbreviated third inning.
Floyd set the tone by walking leadoff hitter Michael Young and major-league RBI leader Josh Hamilton followed with a run-scoring double.
Texas' next hitter, David Murphy, drilled a 2-run homer and the rout was on.
"I felt good coming in,'' said Floyd, who threw 84 pitches in the short outing. "They fouled off a lot of pitches and I ended up walking people. It was just one of those games where I didn't have the best command, of anything. I was trying to make pitches, but the game sped up on me instead of me relaxing and slowing it down. ''
After walking Ramon Vazquez with the bases loaded and two outs in the third inning, Floyd hit the showers.
D.J. Carrasco came on in relief, but his debut with the Sox got off to an inauspicious start when the 31-year-old right-hander walked Young on four pitches to force home another run.
"I had a little bit of jitters since it's been a couple years since I've been in the big leagues,'' said Carrasco, who came up from Class AAA Charlotte on Wednesday and last pitched in the majors in 2005, with Kansas City.
After walking Young, Carrasco settled down and pitched the final 5 innings, allowing 1 run on 4 hits.
"Carrasco could be the highlight of the month, believe me,'' Guillen said. "He gave me a chance to win the next couple days and that's big. To save the bullpen, it was an outstanding job.''
Carrasco was just happy to help out.
"It's good to give the bullpen a rest,'' Carrasco said. "I know there have been a lot of guys throwing a lot.'
Rangers starter Luis Mendoza came in throwing poorly, as his 7.54 ERA attests. But Mendoza pitched 6 solid innings against the White Sox, allowing 1 run on 3 hits while piling up 8 strikeouts.
"He's supposed to be the guy that's given up a lot of runs lately, but he pitched good against us,'' Guillen said.
The Sox' only run off Mendoza came in the fourth inning, when A.J. Pierzynski led off with a double and scored on Carlos Quentin's double.