The Chicago White Sox had the fog machine and strobe lights
going after their latest victory. Considering how little they have had to
celebrate this
season
Cody
Latimer Color Rush Jersey , they¡¯re not going to let the opportunities go
by.
James Shields won for the first time since opening day, Yoan Moncada and
Yolmer Sanchez homered to lead off a three-run first, and Chicago beat the
Cleveland Indians 5-1 on Tuesday night.
Shields (2-7) gave up one run and four hits in seven innings after going 12
starts and 13 appearances without a win. The veteran right-hander struck out two
and did not walk a batter in his first victory since the opener at Kansas
City.
¡±We¡¯re trying to celebrate each win,¡± Shields said. ¡±We¡¯re gonna go game by
game and try to win the series and enjoy the moment.¡±
Moncada said through an interpreter that the White Sox started breaking out
the fog machine and strobe lights a few weeks ago. On Tuesday, he and Sanchez
got the party started .
They connected on consecutive pitches from Adam Plutko. Matt Davidson drove
RBI doubles off the center-field wall in both the first and a two-run fifth ,
and the White Sox beat the AL Central leaders after losing their first four
meetings this season.
Recalled from Triple-A Columbus, Plutko (3-1) got tagged for five runs and
eight hits in 4 2/3 innings. The 26-year-old righty won his first three major
league starts this season before getting knocked around by Chicago.
Shields hit Francisco Lindor in the right foot with his first pitch of the
game. He also gave up a sacrifice fly to Jose Ramirez in the sixth, but not much
else in a dominant outing .
¡±He doesn¡¯t have the same stuff that he once had, so he¡¯s learned how to be a
pitcher,¡± Jason Kipnis said. ¡±To live on the corners, to get guys to hit off his
pitches Patrick
Omameh Color Rush Jersey , and he¡¯s done a good job with it and he did a
great job tonight. As a team, we¡¯ve got to make an adjustment faster to that,
not be chasing those type of pitches.¡±
HANGING ON
Cleveland stranded two on in the ninth and came up short after winning five
of six.
Xavier Cedeno struck out Jason Kipnis with runners on first and third and one
out. Yonder Alonso then took second on indifference before Joakim Soria retired
Yan Gomes on a fly to the center-field warning track for his ninth save in 11
chances.
GOING DEEP
Moncada lined a 2-1 pitch over the center-field wall for his fourth career
leadoff homer ¨C all this season. Sanchez sent Plutko¡¯s next offering out to
right-center, giving Chicago back-to-back drives for the fourth time this
season. The White Sox had not started a first inning with consecutive homers
since Alen Hanson and Sanchez connected against Tampa Bay¡¯s Chris Archer on
Sept. 2.
QUOTABLE
¡±I feel like I¡¯ve been pitching really well for the most part, a lot, this
season. But wins haven¡¯t come my way.¡± ¨C Shields on the victory.
ROSTER MOVE
The Indians optioned catcher and outfielder Francisco Mejia back to Triple-A
a day after recalling him, because catcher Roberto Perez did not need to go on
the disabled list. Perez was hit by a pitch in the right wrist against Detroit
on Sunday.
TRAINER¡¯S ROOM
Indians: 2B Kipnis (neck) was back in the lineup after sitting out the
previous two games and so was 1B Edwin Encarnacion (ankle) after missing three
in a row. ¡ The Indians continue to hold off on activating OF Brandon Guyer
(strained neck) after he was hit in the wrist by a pitch during a rehab game for
Columbus on Sunday. Manager Terry Francona indicated they might wait until
Thursday, when the White Sox send a lefty to the mound in Carlos Rodon. ¡±We¡¯re
just trying to make sure he¡¯s ready,¡± Francona said.
White Sox: OF Avisail Garcia (strained right hamstring) went 1 for 2 for
Triple-A Charlotte against Durham in his first rehab game on Tuesday.
UP NEXT
Indians: RHP Trevor Bauer (5-4, 2.62 ERA) hopes to continue his mastery over
the White Sox after going 2-0 with a 2.19 ERA in two starts against them last
year.
White Sox: RHP Dylan Covey (2-1, 2.22) tries to build on another strong
outing after throwing three-hit ball over six innings in a 1-0 victory over
Chris Sale and the Red Sox at Fenway Park on Friday.
¡ª
After launching 10 home runs in their first two games against the
Pirates Terrelle
Pryor Sr. Color Rush Jersey , the Dodgers kept it in the park and still
won their fourth in a row.
Rich Hill earned his first victory in three months, Yasmani Grandal and Chris
Taylor drove in three runs apiece, and Los Angeles beat Pittsburgh 6-4 on
Wednesday night to sweep the Pirates for the second straight year.
The Dodgers outscored the Pirates 31-8 in the series, the first time they¡¯ve
totaled 30-plus runs and 20-plus extra-base hits in a three-game series since
1950, when the Brooklyn Dodgers had 47 runs and 22 extra-base hits also against
the Pirates, according to Stats LLC.
¡±It¡¯s been fun. Everybody seems to be swinging the bat well,¡± Taylor said.
¡±It seems like it¡¯s a different guy every time. We know we can manufacture runs.
It just happens we¡¯ve been scoring most by the homer.¡±
Hill (2-3) allowed two runs and four hits in five innings for his first
victory since April 1, when he won his season debut against the Giants. The
left-hander, who had been sidelined by blister issues, struck out five and
walked one.
It was the first time the Pirates walked in the series.
¡±The mechanical things we worked on a month ago I look forward to keeping the
rest of the season,¡± Hill said.
Hill left the game with a stiff neck after an ill-advised head-first slide
into home plate in the fourth.
Kenley Jansen earned a five-out
save Thomas
Rawls Color Rush Jersey , his 23rd of the season. Pinch-hitter Corey
Dickerson singled with two outs in the ninth, putting the potential tying run at
the plate, but Austin Meadows struck out to end the game.
Daniel Hudson, who relieved Hill, was ejected in the sixth by first-base
umpire Jeff Nelson. Hudson gave up a one-out single to Elias Diaz and then
appeared to be yelling in Nelson¡¯s direction before getting tossed. Hudson gave
a dismissive wave of his right arm before retreating to the dugout.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Nelson had cautioned Hudson that his hand
was carrying the ball, although Roberts said the delivery wasn¡¯t out of the
ordinary.
¡±He wanted Daniel to have the hand available for the runner to see,¡± Roberts
said. ¡±Nelly interpreted it correctly.¡±
Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner was hit by a pitch from Tyler Glasnow in
the fifth, but stayed in the game. The ball grazed his shoulder first before
striking part of his helmet.
¡±It kind of shook him up,¡± Roberts said.
Grandal gave the Dodgers a 1-0 lead with a two-out RBI single in the first.
His two-run RBI double put them back in front in the third, and Taylor followed
with an RBI single to chase Clay Holmes (0-1) and make it 4-2.
Taylor¡¯s RBI single in the fifth extended the Dodgers¡¯ lead to 6-2.
Gregory Polanco¡¯s two-run homer off Edward Paredes in the eighth left
Pittsburgh trailing 6-4.
The Pirates briefly led 2-1 on Starling Marte¡¯s two-out RBI double just
inside the left-field line in the third.
Pittsburgh lost its third in a row and went 4-5 on its nine-game trip to New
York, San Diego and Los Angeles.
¡±The game shows you where you need to
improve Kyler
Fackrell Jersey ,¡± manager Clint Hurdle said. ¡±It gives you immediate
feedback.¡±
Holmes gave up four runs and five hits in 2 1/3 innings of his first major
league start. The right-hander struck out two and walked three, all in the first
inning when he needed 35 pitches.
¡±I made some good pitches,¡± Holmes said. ¡±But they had some good takes and
made me work a little extra in the first.¡±
TRAINER¡¯S ROOM
Dodgers: RHP Walker Buehler (right rib microfracture) is set to throw a
simulated game in Anaheim on Sunday. That session should end his rehab and he
will return to the club. ¡ RHP Hyun-Jin Ryu (left groin strain) will go to
spring training camp in Arizona while the Dodgers are on a seven-game trip to
Anaheim and San Diego. Ryu will be joined there by RHP Pedro Baez (right biceps
tendinitis), LHP Tony Cingrani (left shoulder strain) and RHP Josh Fields (right
shoulder inflammation).
ADVENTURE IN BASE RUNNING
Hill notched his first hit of the season with a perfectly placed bunt single
in the fourth and his first since Sept. 27, 2017. That launched his adventure on
the base paths. He advanced to second and third on wild pitches. Hill slid home
head-first only to get tossed out on a double-play ball by Max Muncy. ¡±Sliding
head-first into home plate for a pitcher is no-no,¡± Taylor said. Hill said he
would get treatment on his neck. ¡±I just need to learn how to slide feet-first,¡±
he said.
UP NEXT
Pirates: Off on Thursday before RHP Trevor Williams (6-6, 4.22 ERA) starts at
home Friday against Philadelphia. He has lost his last two starts.
Dodgers: After an off-day, RHP Kenta Maeda (5-5, 3.36) starts the series
opener Friday in Anaheim. He is 1-1 with a 3.27 ERA in two career starts against
the Angels.
¡ª