Rapid Reaction: White Sox 3, Angels 0
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Chris Sale ran his scoreless streak to 23 innings Friday and Alex Rios homered for the second straight game as the visiting Chicago White Sox won their season-high fourth straight game with a 3-0 victory against the Los Angeles Angels.
How it happened: Sale wasn't as unhittable as the last time he faced the Angels, but he was just as unbeatable. Six days after slinging a one-hit shutout against the Angels, Sale breezed through their batting order again, this time giving up three hits while striking out a season-high 12 in 7 2/3 innings. Sale received all the run support he would need on a first-inning solo home run by Rios, teased the Angels with two first-inning walks -- the first he surrendered in 17 2/3 innings -- then put the hammer down the rest of the way. He improved to 5-2 on the season, lowered his ERA to 2.53 and improved his career mark to 10-0 against the American League West.
What it means: The White Sox entered the day four games behind the Tigers and Indians in the American League Central, then fell to 4 1/2 back after Detroit edged the Rangers 2-1 and Cleveland beat the Mariners 6-3 on a three-run homer in the bottom of the 10th inning. The Sox don't face either team until late June, so they need to take care of business and hope for a little help along the way. Sale certainly did his part Friday.
Outside the box: Something about the month of May brings out the best in Rios. He came into Friday's game with his highest career average (.289), most home runs (37) and most RBIs (118) of any full regular-season month. He then went out and gave the White Sox a 1-0 lead with a home run for the second consecutive game and added a single in his second plate appearance and a walk in his third. His second base hit upped his average to .396 during his current hitting streak.
Off beat: Sale made his other career start against the Angels a year ago Friday at Angel Stadium, giving up one run -- a homer by Albert Pujols -- in 5 1/3 innings of a 6-1 victory by the White Sox. Sale is now 19-8 since that victory. Left-handers came into the game hitting 3-for-49 (.067) off Sale this season and struggling Angels outfielder Josh Hamilton had no chance against Sale, striking out on three pitches in his second and third at-bats.
Up next: The White Sox will send left-hander Hector Santiago (1-2, 2.23 ERA) to the mound in the third game of the four-game series. The Angels will counter with right-hander Joe Blanton (0-7, 6.46) in the 3:05 p.m. CT start from Angel Stadium.
Chris Sale pitched 7 2/3 scoreless innings as the White Sox defeated the Angels 3-0.
Chris Sale's 12 strikeouts lead White Sox to 4th straight win
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Chris Sale stifled the Los Angeles Angels' bats for the second time in six days, scattering three hits over 7 2/3 innings with a season-high 12 strikeouts on Friday night to lead the Chicago White Sox to a 3-0 victory.
Alex Rios and Adam Dunn homered for the White Sox, who extended their winning streak to a season-high four games.
Sale (5-2) threw 79 of his 113 pitches for strikes in another competitive duel with fellow lefty C.J. Wilson, whom he beat 3-0 last Sunday night at Chicago.
Addison Reed pitched a perfect ninth for his 14th save in 15 chances.
Wilson (3-3) lost his third straight start, allowing two runs and six hits over seven innings.
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OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Kansas City Royals placed center fielder Jarrod Dyson on the 15-day disabled list Friday with a sprained right ankle and recalled outfielder David Lough from Triple-A Omaha.
The speedy Dyson hurt his ankle Wednesday night against the Angels while attempting to scale the outfield wall and rob Mike Trout of a home run. He was forced to leave the game in the eighth inning and an examination by the medical staff revealed the sprain.
Dyson was hitting .268 with a homer and eight RBIs. He had provided a spark for a struggling offense with his ability to cause problems on the basepaths.
Lough was hitting .340 with three homers and three triples for the Storm Chasers, and was riding a 16-game hitting streak that ended May 8. He was in the starting lineup in right field and batting leadoff for the Royals in the opener of a weekend series at Oakland.
The White Sox scored three runs in the eighth inning to defeat the Angels 5-4.
Rapid Reaction: White Sox 5, Angels 4
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The White Sox rallied from a two-run deficit Thursday night by scoring three runs in the eighth and then holding on for a 5-4 victory, their third consecutive win to match their season high.
How it happened: When White Sox second baseman Jeff Keppinger stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs in the eighth inning of a tied game, he had gone 140 plate appearances without drawing a walk this season, the most in the major leagues. Angels reliever Michael Kohn had walked the previous two batters so it wasn't entirely a surprise when he threw four straight balls to Keppinger, forcing in Adam Dunn with the go-ahead run. Jesse Crain pitched the eighth for his 15th consecutive scoreless outing and Addison Reed retired the Angels in order in the ninth for his 13th save.
What it means: The White Sox moved to within four games of the Tigers and Indians in the American League Central, taking advantage of one of the worst outings in the career of Detroit ace Justin Verlander, who couldn't get out of the third inning in a 10-4 loss to the Rangers earlier in the day. The White Sox are back to three games under .500 for the first time since May 2 and didn't commit an error for the second straight game, something they did 30 times through the first 37 games.
Outside the box: Alex Rios came into the game ranked third among active American League outfielders in assists with 79. He added to that total in the third inning after Angels catcher Chris Iannetta singled to center to represent the game's first base runner. He was sacrificed to second and attempted to score on Erick Aybar's liner to right, but Rios came up throwing and nailed Iannetta at the plate with a perfect one-hop throw to end the inning. Rios then further quieted the crowd with a solo homer to left with two outs in the fourth, giving the White Sox a 1-0 lead and extending his hitting streak to 11 games.
Off beat: In an interesting scoring decision in the fifth inning, Keppinger was awarded an RBI on a hard grounder to Aybar at shortstop with the infield in and Conor Gillaspie at third. Aybar appeared to have the ball in his glove in plenty of time to throw Gillaspie out at the plate, but lost the ball in transition, allowing Gillaspie to tie the score at 2-2. Aybar was charged with an error, but Keppinger was given an RBI and, thus, the run was earned. Gillaspie, who had doubled to lead off the inning, came in leading American League rookies in base hits (29) and second in extra-base hits (eight).
Up next: The White Sox will send left-hander Chris Sale (4-2, 2.88 ERA) to the mound at Angel Stadium in the second game of the four-game series. The Angels will counter with left-hander C.J. Wilson (3-2, 3.88) in the 9:05 p.m. CT start.
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Jeff Keppinger walked with the bases loaded to drive in the go-ahead run -- his first base on balls in 141 plate appearances this season -- and the Chicago White Sox rallied with three runs in the eighth to beat the Los Angeles Angels 5-4 on Thursday night for their season-high third straight road win.
The Angels' bullpen wasted a two-run lead as the club lost its second straight and dropped to 8-12 at home.
Matt Lindstrom (2-2) got the victory after facing one batter in the seventh, getting Mike Trout to fly out to right to end the inning.
Addison Reed pitched the ninth to earn his 13th save in 14 chances.
Dane Del La Rosa (1-1) took the loss, giving up all three runs in the eighth.
Doctors have told Josh Hamilton that his allergies were not caused by his past cocaine use, the Angels slugger told the Los Angeles Times.
Hamilton told MLB.com this week that he's sick with sinus congestion that makes him prone to dizziness and sensitive to the lights at major league stadiums.
Hamilton's drug use led to multiple suspensions from 2003 to 2006, before he made his major league debut.
"You have a hallway up the middle of your nose and sinus cavities on each side," Hamilton told the Times. "When you breathe air, it goes up and down the hallway.
"Same thing when you do drugs, it goes up the hallway, not into the sinus cavities. I told the doctor I had never had allergies before I started doing any of that stuff, but he said [drug use] has nothing to do with it."
Hamilton, who entered Thursday's game hitting just .214, has scheduled a visit with an allergist after suffering from sinus and throat discomfort.
"You think about the consequences of the decisions you made, especially when you put things in your body that aren't good for you," Hamilton told the newspaper. "But your body is a fascinating thing. It can heal itself. From the doctors I've talked to, it seems like the effects from the years of drug use have healed up."
