Southside Showdown
Fansided

White Sox: Frazier, Quintana Lead in Win Against Mariners

By Anders Johanson

Jul 19, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Chicago White Sox third baseman Todd Frazier (21) celebrates his two-run home run against the Seattle Mariners with left fielder Melky Cabrera (53) during the ninth inning at Safeco Field. Cabrera scored a run on the hit. Chicago defeated Seattle, 6-1. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 19, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Chicago White Sox third baseman Todd Frazier (21) celebrates his two-run home run against the Seattle Mariners with left fielder Melky Cabrera (53) during the ninth inning at Safeco Field. Cabrera scored a run on the hit. Chicago defeated Seattle, 6-1. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

After Monday’s crushing defeat in the ninth inning the White Sox needed something to shift the momentum back into their favor. Todd Frazier and Jose Quintana were integral parts in the White Sox 6-1 win over the Mariners on Tuesday.

Jose Quintana’s unfortunate lack of run support was covered in detail in Southside Showdown’s first half player grades, but Tuesday night’s ballgame against the Seattle Mariners bucked tradition and gave Quintana more than he needed to walk away with a victory.

1. 62. 6. 128. Final

Brett Lawrie started the scoring with a solo home run in the top of the second inning, his 12th home run of the year. Mariners second baseman Robinson Cano answered with a solo shot of his own in the bottom of the fourth inning. Jose Quintana was dominating the Mariners offense just as Chris Sale did in the first game of the series, similarly Wade Miley was able to hold the White Sox offense in check for several innings before they could figure out a different approach to the left-hander.

Quintana scattered seven strikeouts and three walks among six innings of one-run ball, bringing his ERA back down to 3.13 for the season. Color commentator Steve Stone noted that the seating area behind home plate was packed with scouts who were there to take a look at Wade Miley, pointing out that Miley’s left-handedness and ability to get the ball over the plate with regularity is highly sought-after in this year’s deadline. It will be interesting to see where Miley ends up should he be moved in the next week.

More from White Sox News

Scoring picked up again in the top of the seventh inning when Melky Cabrera clubbed his ninth home run of the year, then a few batters later J.B. Shuck drove in Todd Frazier on a single. In the top of the ninth inning Todd Frazier hit a two-run home run and Dioner Navarro hit a run-scoring double to close out the scoring for the game. Zach Duke and Nate Jones both pitched perfect innings and rookie Carson Fulmer, who was called up a week ago, faced two batters and struck out one in two-thirds of an inning of work.

It was definitely encouraging to see the White Sox offense provide some run support for Jose Quintana. Whether the White Sox still have hopes for the playoffs remains to be seen, but games like this show that when the whole team is on the same page they can do some damage. Sale’s start, though spoiled by a ninth-inning collapse, and Quintana’s start further cemented their position at the top of the rotation. Now it’s up to the rest of the starters to follow suit and keep the momentum going.

Next: Should White Sox Consider Changing Closer

Miguel Gonzalez (2-5, 4.40) will do battle against Felix Hernandez (4-4. 2.86) in Wednesday’s final game of this West Coast trip. Hernandez is making his first start since being diagnosed with a strained calf on May 28. Gonzalez has looked fantastic over his last few starts and White Sox fans should expect nothing less as the team aims to grab a series victory before taking on the Detroit Tigers for four games back in Chicago starting Thursday night.

Follow Anders on Twitter for more White Sox discussion throughout the season.

Home/White Sox News