Chris Sale, White Sox rebound from rough start to down Twins | C

[http://www.csnchicago.com] Blackhawks Bulls Cubs White Sox Bears Fire Notre Dame Big Ten Preps Video Golf Sports Business Inside Look Beer Money Horse Racing NASCAR NCAA Sky CSN Fantasy Sports CSN Talent MORE Video Dan Hayes Pulse Standings Schedule Stats Shop Golf Channel Rotoworld Comcast SportsNet Search Latest Video 2:08 SportsNet Central: Hayes talks White Sox, Shields rumors 0:41 Rodon: 'It's part of it. That's baseball' 1:04 Robertson: 'I let the whole team down' 1:02 Ventura: 'If you can't close it out, that's what happens' 0:41 Frazier: 'We've got to find a way to put the fire out' 1:46 Matt Albers: 'Nobody's hanging their heads' 1:05 Ventura: 'Seemed like anything you tried to do didn't work' 1:50 White Sox PGL: Bullpen allows Royals to rally for win Chicago White Sox Chris Sale, White Sox rebound from rough start to down Twins Chris Sale, White Sox rebound from rough start to down Twins By Dan Hayes May 07, 2016 9:00 PM Chris Sale and the White Sox offense both woke up after a painful start on Saturday night. Sale survived a potentially disastrous first inning and the offense provided more seventh inning magic as the White Sox downed the Minnesota Twins 7-2 in front of 28,049 at U.S. Cellular Field. After he walked a batter with the bases loaded and hit another in a wild first inning, Sale retired 19 of the last 20 batters he faced to improve to 7-0. Todd Frazier made two great defensive plays, homered and doubled in a run for the White Sox, who improved to 21-10 and clinched their sixth series win in 10 this season. Jose Quintana pitches Sunday as the White Sox look to close out a sweep of the Twins. “It was a very odd first inning for him, definitely,” White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. “I think a team that's kind of had your number somewhat, he was up there velocity-wise, too. I think he was overthrowing it, definitely overthrowing the slider. But I think he finally got into a groove and we were able to score some runs for him. But that's the first time I've seen him like that where he's really overthrowing. “It's nice to see him calm down and get through it.” Sale (7-0) suggested Friday he had Minnesota, against whom he went 1-4 with a 7.36 ERA last season, circled on his calendar . He looked like it, too. Sale hit 97 mph on a strikeout of Darin Mastroianni to start the game before he began to struggle with command. After he surrendered two, two-out hits, including Trevor Plouffe’s ground-rule double, Sale hit Byung Ho Park with a pitch to load the bases. Oswaldo Arcia gave Minnesota a 1-0 lead with a five-pitch walk and Sale hit Jorge Polanco to force in another run. Only after a mound visit did Sale escape the bases-loaded jam on a Kurt Suzuki grounder. But he never looked back. Sale, who threw 36 first-inning pitches, needed only 10 in the second to retire the side in order, something he did five times. Sale was flawless the rest of the way save for a one-out Polanco double in the fourth. He struck out the side in the fifth inning and had eight whiffs over his last six innings. Sale was so good that Ventura brought him back for the seventh inning, even though he was at 106 pitches. He threw strikes on 74 of 120 pitches and limited the Twins to three hits, a walk and two hit batsmen in seven innings. “He works fast so it makes us into the game a lot more so when we can get to balls or make those plays when we need them,” Frazier said. “So even though that first inning was a little weird, a little hectic, he came back, he settled down and we came through there as hitters.” Sale joined Eddie Cicotte, John Whitehead, Jack McDowell and Jon Garland as the only pitchers in franchise history to win their first seven starts and also is the first in the majors this season to reach the seven-win mark. Sale wouldn’t have gotten there without his supporting cast. A team that entered 18th in the majors with a .256 average with runners in scoring position started 1-for-8 and stranded seven runners in the first four innings, which prevented the White Sox from pulling away early. Dioner Navarro doubled in a run in the second off Ervin Santana and Frazier’s solo homer in the third — his first hit in 20 May at-bats — evened the score. Austin Jackson also forced in a run in the fourth with a bases-loaded walk to put the White Sox ahead for good. The White Sox finally broke it open in the seventh. Frazier had an RBI double, Brett Lawrie had an RBI single and Avisail Garcia forced in a run when he was hit by a pitch. Abreu singled in a run in the eighth inning for the White Sox, who have outscored opponents 31-8 in the seventh inning this season. Sale said the support from his teammates was far greater than several nice defensive plays and the late runs. They provided an emotional lift, too. “I’m probably out of there in the fourth or fifth inning a couple of years ago,” Sale said. “You guys are talking about 7-0 — my teammates got me here. They got me through this one today. I didn’t give (Navarro) too much to work with. I had a good breaking ball today and that was about it. Fastball all over the place, changeup wasn’t there for the most part and he got me through that game and my guys won this game for us. I was just along for the ride.” Tags: Chicago White Sox , White Sox Alex Avila on White Sox: 'Come back tomorrow and make something happen' Alex Avila on White Sox: 'Come back tomorrow and make something happen' By Dan Hayes May 29, 2016 11:15 AM KANSAS CITY, Mo. — They may be reeling from two awful losses, but Alex Avila expects he won’t see any let up from his White Sox teammates. He’d better not. Whereas they should be in position to close out a sweep of the Kansas City Royals on Sunday, the White Sox are trying to avoid one after consecutive stunning losses, including allowing seven runs in the bottom of the ninth on Saturday in an 8-7 loss. Asked how they have to respond, the veteran catcher said his White Sox teammates have little choice — play hard or don’t bother showing up. “The way you stop it is you come back tomorrow and make something happen,” Avila said. “They’re not going to feel bad for us. So you can’t feel sorry for yourself. It’s an extremely tough loss for sure. That’s a game we should have won. There’s been a few games we should have won. The way we’ve been playing have given a lot of people doubt. “But guys in here, if they have any shred of doubt in their mind of what they can do, even though we’re struggling, don’t even come. No one’s going to feel sorry for you in this game. Even if you’re struggling, battle your ass off. There’s no room for feeling sorry for yourself and doubting your ability and your team’s ability. We’re going through a tough two-week stretch. The good thing is it’s right now at the end of May here. Try to finish these last few games in May strong and take it into June and see if we can make a better month out of it.” The White Sox appeared to respond well to Friday’s game, one in which they blew a four-run lead, until the bullpen melted down for a second straight day. Even though none of their big run producers came through, the White Sox pulled ahead 7-1 on the strength of home runs by Tyler Saladino and Avisail Garcia. But then the impossible happened and the Royals rallied to win a game in which their win probability was 0.1 percent after David Robertson struck out Paulo Orlando to start the ninth inning. Robertson only recorded one more out as he allowed six runs and Tommy Kahnle allowed another in an 8-7 loss. “I’m not surprised or satisfied the way our team has responded to tough losses,” Avila said. “I expect it. No matter what the situation was the game before, I expect each guy in here to be prepared the very next day. If they’re not, then there’s an issue. Guys have been coming to play every single day and doing their homework and getting prepared for each game. If they weren’t, it’d be an issue. But guys have been doing that and we’re kind of going through one of those spells where instead of finding ways to win, we’re finding ways to lose games. Most teams will go through it or have gone through it. I know the first month we were playing great and the Royals weren’t playing well, the Tigers weren’t playing well and Cleveland wasn’t playing well. It was like, ‘Well, we’re going to run away with it,’ and flipped the script. Things can change pretty quickly over the course of a week or two weeks, even a month. That’s my point on why you have to come and make sure you’re prepared — that doubt in your mind about the day before is gone and you have to be ready no matter what because nobody is going to feel sorry for you.” Tags: Chicago White Sox Sale looks to stop the slide as White Sox face Royals on CSN Sale looks to stop the slide as White Sox face Royals on CSN By #WhiteSoxTalk May 28, 2016 6:30 PM The White Sox take on the Kansas City Royals on Sunday, and you can catch all the action on Comcast SportsNet. Coverage begins with White Sox Pregame Live at 12:30 p.m. Be sure to stick around after the final out to get analysis and player reaction on White Sox Postgame Live. Sunday’s starting pitching matchup: Chris Sale vs. Edison Volquez Click here for a game preview to make sure you’re ready for the action. [SHOP WHITE SOX: Get your White Sox gear right here ] — Channel finder: Make sure you know where to watch . — Latest on the White Sox: All of the most recent news and notes. — See what fans are talking about before, during and after the game with White Sox Pulse. Tags: Chicago White Sox Seven-run ninth inning dooms White Sox in loss to Royals Seven-run ninth inning dooms White Sox in loss to Royals By Dan Hayes May 28, 2016 4:45 PM KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- What an implosion. A day after they inexplicably gave away one contest, the White Sox outdid themselves on Saturday afternoon. Instead of evening the series with a decisive victory, David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle allowed the Kansas City Royals to rally for seven ninth-inning runs to send the White Sox to a stunning 8-7 loss in front of 31,598 at Kauffman Stadium. Brett Eibner’s bases-loaded RBI single off Kahnle capped an improbable comeback and delivered another crushing blow to the White Sox, who have lost five straight and 13 of their last 17 contests. “This is a tough one, no matter how you look at it,” third baseman Todd Frazier said. “You saw what happened. You can go back and think about it, game we should have won and didn’t win.” “We’re all professionals and we’ve seen crazy things in baseball. This is one of them.” Saturday’s loss ranks as one of the craziest in club history. The White Sox went from a state of joy, cruising toward a pivotal victory, to disarray in a span of 51 pitches. Leading 7-1, Robertson took over and struck out Paulo Orlando. Cheslor Cuthbert then singled and Eibner doubled to deep right when Adam Eaton lost the ball in the sun. Robertson walked Omar Infante and Alcides Escobar consecutively to force in a run, which prompted a visit from White Sox manager Robin Ventura. Whit Merrifield’s grounder then deflected off the glove of Robertson and a potential double play turned into a two-run single and made it a 7-4 contest. “The worst part about it was looking back and seeing Brett (Lawrie) was right there,” Robertson said. “If I had let it go, I would have got us out of the inning. It’s frustrating when you make a mistake like that.” Lorenzo Cain’s hustle kept the inning alive as he narrowly beat out a game-ending double play to drive in another run. Eric Hosmer followed with an RBI double to right-center field to make it a 7-6 game and end Robertson’s day. “It’s a terrible performance on my part,” Robertson said. “Can’t say much else about it. “It doesn’t matter what the score is, I still have to get three outs. I let the whole team down.” Drew Butera lifted his team’s spirits. The backup catcher entered in the ninth inning after an apparent knee injury knocked Salvador Perez out of the game. Already on tilt, the Kauffman crowd erupted when Butera ripped a 99-mph fastball from Kahnle for a game-tying double. The White Sox opted to intentionally walk Orlando. But it didn’t prevent Kahnle from allowing Butera to advance to third as he uncorked a wild pitch. Kahnle also intentionally walked Jarrod Dyson to load the bases for Eibner, who ended a 10-pitch at-bat with the game-winning single under the glove of Sox first baseman Jose Abreu. “The way games have been going, you go to the guy to close it out, because we haven’t been able to get to him,” Ventura said. “There’s no shot clock. There’s no time clock. If you can’t close it out, that’s what happens. And today we couldn’t close it out.” The White Sox entered the ninth inning without a care in the world. They had bounced back definitively from Friday’s stunner, when the bullpen surrendered a four-run lead over the final three innings. An opposite-field approach against Kansas City starter Yordano Ventura took hold with two outs in the fourth inning. Brett Lawrie, Alex Avila and Avisail Garcia all had opposite-field singles, Garcia’s providing the White Sox a 1-0 lead. Tyler Saladino then crushed a hanging 0-2 slider from Ventura for a three-run homer to left field and a four-run lead. The White Sox offense continued to add on against Ventura. Avila doubled with one out in the fourth inning and Garcia hammered a 2-1 changeup for a two-run shot. Garcia’s homer, his fifth, traveled 428 feet at an exit velocity of 113 mph and gave the White Sox a 6-1 advantage. They added another run in the fifth as Austin Jackson singled, advanced on a wild pitch and scored on a throwing error by Omar Infante. And then the Royals happened again. “They have mojo over there right now,” Avila said. “They just keep coming at you and taking advantage of the fact that we’re scuffling a little bit right now.” The devastating loss was the third in 18 days in which the White Sox bullpen surrendered a significant lead. The unit, which has a 4.73 ERA this month, also blew a five-run lead in a 13-11 loss at the Texas Rangers on May 10. Along with a blown four-run lead on Friday, the White Sox nearly surrendered a four-run advantage in the opening game of a doubleheader against the Cleveland Indians on Monday. “It might have a lasting effect,” Frazier said. “There are going to be some guys who are in here who tonight aren’t going to be real happy. Once you get in here and know we start over again, I’ve learned from the best that you start all over like nothing happened and go about your business.” Tags: Chicago White Sox Load more Alex Avila on White Sox: 'Come back tomorrow and make something happen' Sale looks to stop the slide as White Sox face Royals on CSN Seven-run ninth inning dooms White Sox in loss to Royals White Sox have interest in San Diego pitcher James Shields Robin Ventura: You 'always' review tough White Sox losses White Sox still reeling after Royals rally for comeback victory Injury Report: Kevan Smith back on DL, Jason Heyward dodges a bullet White Sox change their minds, Chris Sale to start Sunday White Sox need to simplify to rediscover winning ways Jimmy Rollins remains confident despite slow start for White Sox White Sox opener with Royals postponed by rain Struggling White Sox face daunting schedule White Sox offense stays in a funk in loss to Indians Adam Eaton's defense has forced White Sox to change plans for Avisail Garcia Chris Sale's win streak snapped at nine as White Sox fall to Tribe White Sox bullpen in as 'good' a position as possible Juan Uribe 'never forgot what it meant to play' for White Sox Starters help White Sox bullpen maintain health for lengthy stretch White Sox offense struggles, drop Game 2 to Indians Brett Lawrie's homer paces White Sox in win over Indians in Game 1 FOLLOW US Facebook Twitter Google Plus Instagram ©2016 Comcast SportsNet Chicago, LLC A Division of NBC Universal Advertise Affiliates Employment Opportunities Internships Independent Programming Report Parents Guide to TV Ratings Press Release Contact Us Tickets CSN Talent Privacy Policy Purchase Policy Term of Service Live Extra FAQ GET NEWSLETTERS & ALERTS SIGN UP