Having ace Chris Sale on the mound was exactly what the Chicago White Sox needed following their 13-run loss from the previous night, because Sale and the offense of the Sox did everything needed to get another needed road win on Wednesday.
Not only did Jose Abreu return to the lineup of the White Sox (24-27) after missing a few games due to a hand injury, but the White Sox offense exploded for 12 hits and nine runs in their 9-2 defeat of the host Texas Rangers in Arlington.
Even with all of the hits, including a 3-for-5 night (two RBIs) with a home run from a struggling Tyler Flowers, and a two-out home run by Abreu, the star of the game was Sale with his pitching.
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The ace of the White Sox staff was in a word brilliant in his seven innings on the bump. Sale allowed no runs on just three hits and he walked two. The lefty struck out 13 batters, lowering his season ERA to 3.27 with his performance against the Rangers.
With that said, Sale was able to keep a very tough and red-hot Rangers team from rounding the bases and doing much of anything, unlike his counterpart Jeff Samardzija the previous night, who allowed nine earned runs.
The bullpen of the White Sox were the ones who allowed the runs, keeping the “Good Guys” from a shutout with Jake Petricka and Zach Duke each allowing an earned run in their two combined innings.
Jun 3, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Chicago White Sox designated hitter
Jose Abreu(79) hits a two run home run during the second inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
As for Abreu, he seems to be over the minor hand injury with a 2-for-4 game at the plate with three RBIs and one run scored, including the aforementioned home run.
This is the type of game I know the White Sox are capable of having on a more consistent basis, but what I’m looking forward to the most in what will be the final game of their series on Thursday is if they are able to have a near repeat performance like this one.
The White Sox will have to have a similar performance if they want to gain the series win against the Rangers, and with that a winning road trip that has lasted for 10 games.
Thursday’s pitching matchup will be rookie Carlos Rodon (1-0, 3.45) of the White Sox against Yovani Gallardo (5-6, 3.88) of the Rangers in a game that starts at 7:05 p.m. CT.
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