After Thursday’s gem, 3 times in his last 4 starts, Jose Quintana has gone 8 innings while being involved in a bona fide pitching duel. Twice he’s come out the winner. This time it was Kevin Youkilis, once again the hero, that put him over the top. Youkilis’ solo HR to lead off the 6th inning would prove to be the difference and Matt Harrison walks away with the tough luck loss as the Texas Rangers leave Chicago victims of a sweep.
Rangers (50-33): 1
White Sox (45-37): 2
Quintana was once again amazing. He struck out 8 batters while walking only one, a dreaded lead-off walk which happened to come around to score the lone run for the Rangers. 2 hits were all that could be mustered by the league’s best offense, making 2 games that the White Sox starters have defied all odds and shut their bats down.
Following the Rangers’ tally in the top of the 4th, it looked like it might be a frustrating day for the Sox, as they stepped up in the bottom half of the inning and brought 7 batters to the plate while only managing a single run. Luckily Youk’s HR two innings later would be enough. Youkilis was responsible for touching the plate both times for the White Sox making for one heck of a series for the Southside’s new third baseman. That trade is looking better every day, I think Kenny probably gives it a kiss every night before he goes to bed.
Plus: Jose Quintana continues his dominance. One poor start in 7, most of which were pretty dominant. I have been waiting for him to get figured out and I’m beginning to think that it’s a little less of a magic act than I thought. This is a legit starter.
Minus: For his part, Matt Harrison did handle the Sox lineup very well, outside of the 4th inning. That threat, and the Youkilis HR were the only rough spots for the Rangers ace. More offense would have been appreciated, but fortunately it wasn’t needed. Another Day of Rest survived. Even though only a pair of runs made it on the board, every White Sox batter reached base in the contest.