Phillies routed by White Sox 9-1, road woes continue
CHICAGO (AP) - It has been a bumpy road for the Philadelphia Phillies this season, and no one has experienced more turbulence lately than 22-year-old pitcher Jake Thompson.
Jose Abreu homered for a third straight game, Carlos Rodon threw 6 2/3 scoreless innings and the Chicago White Sox beat the slumping Phillies 9-1 on Tuesday night.
Thompson was tagged for seven runs, all earned, in five innings. The former second-round draft pick allowed eight hits and four walks while his ERA ballooned to 9.78 in four starts, 12.54 in two such appearances on the road.
"I don't really have the answer right now to fix it," said Thompson, who issued 13 walks in 19 1/3 innings. "But I feel I'm certainly a lot better than what my performances indicated."
Abreu hit a two-run home run and Justin Morneau followed with a solo shot in the fifth.
"(Thompson) relies a lot on command, and he hasn't shown that," manager Pete Mackanin said. "I attribute a lot of that to his youth and inexperience."
Mackanin was non-committal about Thompson's role in the final weeks of the season.
"We don't want him to continue to get beat up like that and lose his confidence all together," Mackanin said. "I'm concerned about it."
Rodon (4-8) allowed three hits and has a 1.46 ERA in his past four starts after missing most of July with a sprained left wrist suffered when he slipped on the dugout steps.
Adam Eaton tripled, singled and scored twice and Tim Anderson tripled, reached base three times and drove in a run as Chicago built a 9-0 lead in its third straight win.
Freddy Galvis homered off Chris Beck in the seventh to end a 17-inning scoreless streak for the Phillies, who have dropped five of seven.
"We keep telling (Galvis) not to (over swing for home runs) and he keeps hitting them," Mackanin said.
Abreu hit 36 homers while winning AL Rookie of the Year in 2014 and 30 last year. He's up to 17 as he heats up after struggling much of the season. Abreu has five homers and 11 RBIs in his past 16 games.
The Phillies, playing on Chicago's South Side for the first time since 2004, managed five hits.
LIKE OLD TIMES
A native South Side Chicagoan, Mackanin had several family and friends in attendance. The trip was his second to U.S. Cellular Field and first as a manager.
NO HOWARD
Phillies 1B Ryan Howard, hitting .107 vs. lefties, was out of the lineup. U.S. Cellular Field is the lone active major league park the former NL MVP hasn't played in.
TEBOWING
The Phillies confirmed they will have a scout at Tim Tebow's workout next Tuesday in Los Angeles.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Phillies: RHP Alec Asher, serving an 80-game suspension for a positive drug test, gave up one run in one inning Tuesday in the start of a rehab assignment with the Class-A affiliate in the Gulf Coast League. ... SS prospect J.P. Crawford (oblique) is back playing for Triple-A Lehigh Valley and is a September call-up candidate.
White Sox: RF Avisail Garcia (knee) was activated off the 15-day DL and went 1 for 4 with a double. OF Jason Coats was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte, leaving nine players on the DL. ... 2B Brett Lawrie (left hamstring) returned from his rehab assignment because of a setback and was scheduled for tests. ... 2B Tyler Saladino (back) was available off the bench.
UP NEXT
White Sox RHP James Shields (5-15, 5.98 ERA) faces RHP Jerad Eickhoff (8-12, 3.91) to close the series Wednesday night. Shields has a 17.36 ERA in four starts this month.