White Sox: Jose Quintana Finally Backed by Run Support, Dominates Royals 6-0
By Rob Hill
White Sox end two game losing streak with dominant performance by veteran All-Star pitcher. South Siders take over first place in division with win.
Jose Quintana‘s previous outing for the Chicago White Sox showed signs that the 2016 All-Star was returning to elite-level form. Quintana picked up his first win of 2017 against the Royals on April 26, tossing six innings of one run ball while fanning 10 and getting his season back on track. Fast forward to almost a week later, and Quintana found himself looking to dominate Royals hitters for a second straight outing.
Quintana would oppose Royals ace Danny Duffy on Tuesday as he would look to bounce back after getting rocked by the White Sox lineup in his last start. Duffy could not escape the fifth inning however in his previous start on April 25, allowing nine hits and six earned runs giving the lefty his first loss of the season.
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White Sox fans have seen since 2012, Quintana keeps them in almost every ball game the club plays in. Quintana entered his start Tuesday night with a career 156 starts under his belt. In those 156 starts according to CSN reporter Dan Hayes, Quintana had only received run support of five or more runs just 25 times in that stretch, or for all you math nerds out there, a minuscule 16 percent of his starts. The Sox offense gave more than enough run support for Quintana on Tuesday night.
The offense started early and stayed consistent all night long for the boys from the South Side. The Sox were able to give Duffy fits once again. A barrage of singles led by catcher Geovany Soto‘s RBI in the second inning and Avisail Garcia‘s two RBI’s in the third inning, paired with a fielder’s choice from recently recalled Willy Garcia and the Sox gave Quintana an early 4-0 lead.
That is all the 28-year-old left hander needed as he was on cruise control all night long. Through five innings of work on Tuesday night, Q faced just one over the minimum which culminated in his best start of the season to this point. Quintana finished the night as a bullpen stalwart; tossing eight brilliant innings allowing just four hits, two walks, and dishing out seven strikeouts. His start was so strong on Tuesday night that Quintana’s season ERA dropped over an entire point; going from 5.22 down to 4.10. Quintana has allowed just one run in his last 14 innings of work.
With the Cleveland Indians losing to the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday, the Sox once again have claimed sole possession of first place in the AL Central at 14-11.
Next: Carson Fulmer, Dane Dunning Pitch Well
What’s Next?
The third game of a four game set between the Sox and Royals takes place on Wednesday night at Kaufmann Stadium. A pair of struggling right handers face off as Mike Pelfrey (0-1 5.00 ERA) will go for the Sox and Nate Karns (0-2 6.26) will oppose Pelfrey and pitch for the Royals. Pelfrey is looking for his first win in a Sox uniform, while Karns is trying to prevent Kansas City from dropping 11 out of their last 12 contests. The game can be seen on CSN+ or heard on WLS 890 at 7:15 CT.