White Sox Lose Game, Control of First Place

The day began with news of two additions to the White Sox bullpen, Jesse Crain’s return from the DL and Brett Myers coming over from the Astros via trade. The bullpen didn’t get much work in this one, as Chris Sale went 7 innings, but he wasn’t as effective as hoped. Rick Porcello held the White Sox at bay throughout, allowing just one run as the Tigers move to half a game over the White Sox in the American League Central.

White Sox (50-44): 1
Tigers (51-44): 7

Having retired the first 4 batters faced, Chris Sale made everybody a little nervous by sticking his bare hand out on a ball hit back up the middle by Jhonny Peralta. Peralta would reach on the play, and Sale would get out of the inning, but when he returned in the 3rd he walked his first two faced, forcing Herm Schneider to make an appearance and make sure everything was alright. Sale then got an Austin Jackson strikeout and a 5-3 double play out of Ryan Rayburn to calm everybody down and end the threat.

Rick Porcello, who has had difficulty pitching deep into games all season picked a hell of a time to start being efficient. He would make it into the 9th inning for the first time of the year. in the lone inning in which the White Sox threatened Paul Konerko saw 5 pitches and then pushed a single to right on the 6th to lead off the inning. Force outs made Alex Rios the baserunner on second, who came around to score on a bloop hit for Dayan Viciedo for the game’s first score. That was as hard as Porcello would have to work all afternoon.

Unfortunately for the second game in a row the White Sox lead was handed right over to the Tigers in the bottom half of the inning. And again, a two-out issue. Gerald Laird and Danny Worth both singled to set up an Austin Jackson gapper to right-center that put the Tigers up 2-1. An inning later, the two-out issue continued as Brennan Boesch hit a 3 run HR, Sale’s first surrendered to a left-handed hitter this season.

Plus: The White Sox were not patient at the plate and virtually asked Rick Porcello to go deep into the game. The aggressive approach achieved next to nothing. The guy currently serving as staff ace in the minds of fans gave up 5 runs and first place is, for the moment, no longer in team possession. Oh, this was the plus section. Crap. Well the fact that all the runs the Tigers have scored in the last two games have come with two outs. So, you know, the runs almost could have not happened…or something.

Minus: See above.

Player of the Game
Dayan Viciedo – .053 Win Expectancy added. .053.

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