May 18, 2013; Anaheim, CA, USA; Chicago White Sox relief pitcher Hector Santiago (53) pitches in the third inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Chris Sale has been fairly ridiculous this season. He’s pitching deep into games, he’s not allowing runs, he’s striking out nearly a quarter of the batters that face him. Trying to complete a sweep against the Red Sox with Sale on the mound wouldn’t be a given, but it would look pretty good.

Instead, Sale will miss this start with what is being termed as mild shoulder tendinitis. Taking his place is Hector Santiago.

I like Hector, you like Hector, we all like Hector, but heck, Hector is no Chris Sale. Six earned runs (Nine total) have crossed the plate in Santiago’s last two starts, both coming against offenses that were either born weak or were struggling at the moment.

In his latest against the Angels, his control fell apart and he issued four free passes. We’ve seen the good this year, we’ve seen the bad, and we know that Hector Santiago is capable of making quality starts and even dominating ones. If he dominates today, the White Sox will have surprised many folks by taking three out of three against a team that entered town the clear favorite to be the ones doing the sweeping.

Today’s Lineup:

1. De Aza – CF
2. Ramirez – SS
3. Rios – RF
4. Dunn – DH
5. Konerko – 1B
6. Viciedo – LF
7. Gillaspie – 3B
8. Keppinger – 2B
9. Flowers – C

To stave off the brooms, Boston starter Clay Buchholz will give his best, which is pretty much all he’s given this season. He hasn’t been blown up at all yet this year and is pacing the American League with a 1.78 ERA.

He’s only allowed 2 HRs in the year and what could be considered his biggest weakness so far, his walk rate, can be easily hidden by a regularly overanxious White Sox lineup. Here’s to patience, and ruffling the feathers of those bloody Sox.

Boston Red Sox Lineup:

1. Jacoby Ellsbury – CF
2. Jonny Gomes – LF
3. Dustin Pedroia – 2B
4. David Ortiz – DH
5. Mike Napoli – 1B
6. Daniel Nava – RF
7. Will Middlebrooks – 3B
8. Stephen Drew – SS
9. Jarrod Saltamacchia – C

Where to Watch

Today’s White Sox game can be watched on CSN for Chicago and NESN in Boston. 7:10 pm CT start time.

May 17, 2013; Anaheim, CA, USA; Chicago White Sox catcher Tyler Flowers (21), starting pitcher Chris Sale (49) and pitching coach Don Cooper (99) walk from the bullpen before playing against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Before anything else, how about that Jose Quintana kid, huh?

Dylan Axelrod made a good Red Sox lineup look ordinary on Monday and Quintana went a step further to make them look inept at squaring pitches up through 6.1 innings of no-hit ball.

It might come off as a slight to the secondary pitches he’s been steadily working on and incorporating more, but Quintana’s success is a testament to how much can be done with elite fastball command. Nine of the 11 swings-and-misses Quintana induced Tuesday night were off his four-seam fastball, which he showed more ability to rush up in the mid-90′s, touching 95 mph in the late-May heat. He also pounded the zone, started 17 of 24 batters with a strike and established enough command to make the instances where he climbed the ladders with high heat that much more effective. It’s his set-up pitch and his put-away offering.

That said, it was probably more of a night of incredible locating for Quintana, rather than a new breakthrough in his ability level. But his progress is so steady that there’s no real point differentiating.

Chris Sale’s shoulder

Any Chris Sale injury is reason to hold family members desperately and weep in fear, but the White Sox are out ahead of the panic about tendinitis in the back of Sale’s pitching shoulder–minimizing its severity and insisting Sale will be ready for his next start after getting scratched for Wednesday’s game.

Ventura has termed the measure as “precautionary,” yes Sale admitted that the injury left him unable to complete his mid-week throwing program and the team doctor shut had to command him to sit out. The idea that Sale would ever ignore this condition and grit his way through a start in late-May seems like more of a product of his own reckless determination–which is welcome!–than something a baseball organization would actually knowingly approve.

It’s encouraging that there’s no declining performance or long-term concern associated with this injury yet, but placing absolute confidence that a lingering pain will be a non-issue after one turn through the rotation is a shade too trusting until we actually reach next week.

Naturally, sitting in the wake of all this concern over a more heralded pitcher and eagerly accepting the ball on short rest despite throwing a bullpen session on Tuesday is Hector Santiago. The difference in treatment is stark, and one that Santiago obviously realizes is necessary if he’s going to continue to grab opportunities.

John Danks

Santiago was originally scheduled to start Friday. His shifting makes the decision on when John Danks should make his return during the series opener against the Miami Marlins a seemingly foregone conclusion. The day off Thursday means the Sox could not promote Danks and still avoid pushing anyone into another short rest situation

Yet the open slot and the easy transition against a punchless, Giancarlo Stanton- free offense it offers is as close as it comes to an ideal setting for Danks’ return…

…save for perhaps a less adrenaline-soaked game on the road.

…or not till after Danks can post strong results in AAA, to ease concerns since he couldn’t post good results before the surgery and his struggles to post good results in spring training prompted this rehab assignment in the first place.

Beyond that, working through command and velocity troubles against the Marlins is the best choice.

If nothing else, the Sale missed start allows for the Sox to go through the starting rotation once more before making a call on who, if anyone, will get pushed aside to make more room for what John Danks can contribute to a ballclub.

Follow James Fegan on Twitter @JRFegan

Jeff Keppinger, yes, Jeff Keppinger, supplied all the offense the White Sox would need in support of Jose Quintana (Mike DiNovo, USA TODAY Sports).

Jose Quintana no-hit the Red Sox through six and a third innings and led the White Sox to a 3-1 victory and series victory over Boston.  David Ortiz broke up the no-hitter with a broken bat single to center field, which was actually followed by two more hits from Mike Napoli and Daniel Nava to load the bases and knock Quintana out of the game.

Jesse Crain inherited those three Boston base runners and promptly struck out Will Middlebrooks and Stephen Drew to escape the jam and end Quintana’s line without an earned run given up.

Jeff Keppinger supplied all of the offense the White Sox needed with a two-run, two-out home run in the bottom of the fifth inning off of Red Sox starter Felix Doubront.  It was Keppinger’s first home run of the year.

Boston mounted a threat in the eighth inning, when Matt Thornton allowed a dreaded leadoff walk and a single.  Matt Lindstrom came in and allowed a run to score, when Alexei Ramirez committed an error on a hard hit grounder by Dustin Pedroia.  But with the tying run on third base and only one out, Lindstrom induced an inning-ending 3-6-3 double play off of the bat of David Ortiz.

The White Sox tacked on an insurance run in the eighth inning and Addison Reed, amid a downpour of warm rain, pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning 16^th save of the year and second in as many days.

Up Next: The White Sox go for the sweep on Wednesday night at 7:10 when Hector Santiago, who is filling in for Chris Sale (who was scratched with a sore left shoulder) takes on Boston ace Clay Buchholz.