Apr 11, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Chris Sale (49) throws a pitch against the Cleveland Indians during the first inning at U.S Cellular Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
Chicago White Sox left hander Chris Sale brought his own fireworks on Independence Day with 12 strikeouts against the Seattle Mariners.
The pitching from Sale, along with a home run by Jose Abreu, was more than enough for the White Sox to defeat the Mariners, 7-1 Friday.
Sale (8-1, 2.16 ERA) was magnificent from the mound, allowing just one earned run on six hits and no walks. The Mariners didn’t score their run until the ninth inning with two outs.
My question is has Sale done enough to be the starter in the All-Star game. I’m not even asking if Sale should be in the All-Star game, because he’s done more than enough to earn a roster spot on the American League squad.
On Friday night, Sale struck out two or more batters in the first, third and sixth innings. In four of his past five starts, Sale has allowed two or fewer earned runs.
May 10, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko (14) rounds the bases in the fifth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at U.S Cellular Field. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
The White Sox offense came to play as well, with Abreu, Dayan Viciedo and Paul Konerko each hit a home run, with Konerko’s home run being the 439th of his career, moving him to 42nd on the all-time home run list.
Abreu’s homer was his 27th of the season, a home run that was a line drive two-run shot in the fifth inning.
Viciedo’s home run was a solo home run that came in the fourth inning, and Konerko’s homer was in the eighth inning, a two-run shot.
Viciedo finished 4-for-4 with two runs and one RBI.
The White Sox finished with nine hits, as Adam Eaton and Gordon Beckham each had one RBI.
This might be the most complete wins of the season for the White Sox, if not the most well-rounded victory. They used their pitching to their advantage, along with scoring runs with some base hits and runs with shots out of the park.
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The problem with this team all season is they haven’t been able to put together these type of games on a consistent basis, leaving them at 41-46 overall.
On Saturday, we’ll see how well the White Sox can hit the baseball with them facing Felix Hernandez (10-2), who has an ERA of 2.10. He’ll oppose Jose Quintana (5-7, 3.44).