Mar 6, 2014; Surprise, AZ, USA; Chicago White Sox shortstop
Alexei Ramirez(10) waits on deck against the Kansas City Royals in the third inning at Surprise Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports
A pair of four-run frames accounted for the bulk of the Chicago scoring on Monday against the Milwaukee Brewers, and a dominant performance by starter Felipe Paulino and the White Sox bullpen led the South Siders to a 9-0 shutout win on Monday afternoon.
Paulino (1-0, 6.08 ERA) tossed five scoreless frames of two-hit ball, walking three and striking out four. Four White Sox relievers combined to allow just two hits in four innings of relief work, and none issued a base-on-balls.
Chicago (7-8) opened the scoring in the third when Hector Gimenez singled to left, plating Matt Davidson for the first run of the ballgame. The White Sox quickly added three more in the fourth to make it a 4-0 contest.
Milwaukee(10-12) tallied just four hits on the afternoon, and not a single Brewers hitter managed more than a single base hit. The only extra-base hit for the club came from Jean Segura, who tripled in the first off Paulino.
The White Sox added four insurance runs in the seventh that blew the game wide open. Shortstop Alexei Ramirez doubled to score Micah Johnson before Ramirez himself came around to score on an RBI double by Adam Dunn, who is hitting just .214 so far this spring. A two-run home run by Josh Richmond, his first on the spring, capped the scoring, making it a 9-0 game.
Ramirez ended the day with an impressive 4-for-4 line, including a run scored and two RBIs. Gimenez and Matt Davidson also added a pair of hits apiece in the winning effort.