Headlines of June 21, 2014
Bookend rallies not enough to stave off defeat
By Scott Merkin / MLB.com
MINNEAPOLIS -- The 2014 White Sox have become a fun team to watch, empowered by a never-say-die
attitude that was on display during the top of the ninth inning of Minnesota's 5-4 victory Friday night at
Target Field.
Trailing by two runs and with just four singles to their name since the first inning, the South Siders rallied
for two runs on four hits against Minnesota closer Glen Perkins (3-0). They had a chance to take the lead
with the bases loaded and one out, but Conor Gillaspie hit into an inning-ending double play from second
baseman Brian Dozier to shortstop Danny Santana to first baseman Joe Mauer.
As much entertainment as the White Sox have provided through 74 games, they remain an incomplete
team. General manager Rick Hahn knows it. Manager Robin Ventura knows it. The players probably know
it as well, although it has been ingrained in them since Day 1 wearing the uniform to win now and win as
frequently as possible.
Records don't lie, as much as the White Sox would like that fact to be false. They have been slightly
above or at .500 for most of this campaign, with their 35-39 record following Friday's setback matching
their low-water mark of the season.
"Everyone always thinks they're more than what their record shows," said White Sox center fielder and
leadoff man Adam Eaton, who has reached base in 15 straight games. "We have pieces in place that we
can compete. And I think we've shown it."
Eaton quickly has become one of those pieces. He doubled home the tying run in the ninth inning
after Dayan Viciedo tripled off of the glove of left fielder Josh Willingham, pinch-hitter Paul
Konerkosingled on the first pitch he saw and Tyler Flowers singled on a 1-2 pitch to center.
There's also the Herculean offensive force that is Jose Abreu, whose solo homer off of Ricky
Nolasco came two batters after Gordon Beckham went deep and gave the White Sox a 2-0 lead in the
first. Abreu has 21 homers, tying him with Alexei Ramirez for seventh on the franchise's single-season
rookie long ball list.
But for every step forward, there seems to be an overall hurdle to overcome.
Rookie Daniel Webb (4-1), who has closer-type stuff, also leads the Majors in walks among relievers. He
walked Eduardo Escobar and Sam Fuld with one out in the bottom of the ninth Friday, with Escobar
eventually coming around to score the game-winner on Dozier's single to left off ofRonald Belisario.
That play was challenged by Ventura, but the call of safe was confirmed by instant replay. Escobar's slide
allowed his right hand to touch the back of the plate before Adrian Nieto tagged him.
"I honestly didn't think he could reach back with his other hand and touch the plate," said Nieto. "So
you've got to tip your hat. He did a great job touching with his other hand."
"He just ran it in, and kind of jammed me a little bit," said Dozier of Belisario's pitch on the game-winner.
"But just enough to die it down behind [Ramirez's] head. That's fine with me. I'll take 100 of them."
Hector Noesi once again pitched well enough for the White Sox to win, with the Twins (34-38) erasing
the first-inning deficit by scoring three in the second and one in the third. He allowed six hits over seven
innings, marking the right-hander's sixth start in which he worked at least six.
From the fourth through the seventh, Noesi gave up just two singles. He struck out four, walked two and
threw 108 pitches.
Noesi was a waiver claim pushed into the White Sox rotation because of Felipe Paulino's balky shoulder
and Erik Johnson's ineffectiveness. The White Sox also have lost right fielder Avisail Garcia (for the
season), and relievers Nate Jones and Matt Lindstrom to injury, which would make a definite difference in
how the White Sox look.
This loss was the club's fifth straight on the road and sixth straight against an American League Central
opponent, both intangibles needing to be fulfilled by a frontline team. Once again, they showed elements
of a team definitely moving in the right direction, but it remains a .500 team under current construction.
"We won a big series against Detroit, we won a big series, I think, against KC, we won the first one
against the Twins," Eaton said. "We definitely can compete. We just need to find that consistency
somewhere, and once we grab it, hopefully we can run with it."
"They will grind. That's a nice thing to have," Ventura said. "You just have to be able to put it all
together. You are lacking in one spot one night and you will end up losing."
Twins' winning run confirmed by instant replay
White Sox challenge Escobar's game-winning slide in ninth
By Alex Smith / MLB.com
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Twins' dramatic 5-4 win over the White Sox on Friday night at Target Field was
confirmed by replay review.
With two outs and runners on first and second in the bottom of the ninth, Brian Dozier looped a single
into left field. Eduardo Escobar slid head-first into home just as the throw from Alejandro De Aza reached
catcher Adrian Nieto, and home-plate umpire Andy Fletcher called Escobar safe.
But as the celebration at Target Field began, White Sox manager Robin Ventura spoke with the umpires
and they decided to review the play.
"I honestly didn't think he could reach back with his other hand and touch the plate," Nieto said. "So
you've got to tip your hat off to that. He did a great job touching with his other hand."
Replays showed that Nieto blocked Escobar's left hand from reaching the plate, but Escobar was indeed
able to touch the plate with his right hand before Nieto tagged him on the lower leg.
"When I saw the replay I was just like, 'Ah,'" Nieto said. "But it helps that there's replay. Unfortunately, it
went their way."
Twins manager Ron Gardenhire thought that because Nieto blocked the plate, the run should've counted
either way.
"I know you can make an adjustment to the ball coming in, but you're supposed to be in fair territory
with your foot," Gardenhire said. "But I would've had an issue if they would have called it [out]."
The review lasted 63 seconds. Fletcher made the "safe" call, and the postgame fireworks show began.
Correia takes aim at extending positive stretch
By Alex Smith / MLB.com
Two weeks ago, Twins starter Kevin Correia had such a bad outing in a 10-5 loss to the Brewers that
reporters asked manager Ron Gardenhire if Correia's job was in jeopardy.
"He's one of our starters," Gardenhire said. "He's paid good money to do that, and he's going to get paid
no matter what. So he's one of our starters."
The manager's loyalty has paid off since. Correia (3-8, 5.29 ERA) proceeded to blank the Blue Jays in
Toronto on June 10 (six innings, six hits) and then held the Red Sox to one run in six innings on Monday
at Fenway Park.
"My stuff has just gotten better over the last few outings," Correia said. "I think it's a product of
struggling a little bit because you know you have to go out there and be sharper. I think in the long run
it's going to help me, going on that bad streak. I think I'm throwing the ball better now than at any point
last season."
White Sox starter Andre Rienzo (4-4, 5.67 ERA) is nearing a demotion if he continues his current slide.
He's allowed 13 runs in his past two starts, and managed only five strikouts to four free passes. His stuff
hasn't been good enough for a win since May 20 in Kansas City (two earned runs in five innings).
One way Chicago plans to combat the Twins offense is with defensive shifts, which manager Robin
Ventura said have been an odd strategic addition this season.
"It takes a while to get used to," he said. "Any time you see a hit and it goes to a spot where you would
normally be standing, you have to believe in it enough. It will eat at you, moving guys around."
So far, the manager thinks the changes have been for the better.
"I see more the other way where we have the guys in the right spot than seeing a ball trickle through
where a guy would be standing," Ventura said. "You see it work. You see the way players react to it even
at the plate. Some guys, it bugs them that you do it, whether he hits it there or not. It does make him
look around and think of something else."
White Sox: Ventura wants to cut down strikeouts
Chicago entered Friday's game leading the American League in strikeouts with 641.
And despite the high risk-reward scenario for sluggers such as Adam Dunn and Jose Abreu, Ventura
wants to make sure that number takes a tumble, no matter who is at the plate.
"You're really working on some two-strike approaches," Ventura said. "We start looking at it and how we
do it as a team and I just think we strike out too much. A little shorten up with two strikes, put it in play.
There needs to be more of that and guys have to be able to do that.
"We're hoping it can be corrected. I don't go up there and do it, but it's definitely something that we're
focusing on because you have to be able to put it in play. When you start striking out this much, nobody
has to play defense against you. So put it in play, put pressure on the defense."
Twins: Fien already past Fenway fiasco
When Casey Fien took the mound against the Red Sox in the bottom of the 10th inning on Wednesday,
there was no reason to think he would give away a 1-0 lead.
The Twins' setup man had compiled a 2.17 ERA through 31 appearances this season, and had been one
of the most trustworthy components of a bullpen that has helped the Minnesota pitching staff exceed
expectations in 2014.
But back-to-back home runs by David Ortiz and Mike Napoli sent the Twins home as sweep victims, and
Fien needed an opportunity to rebound mentally. He got it on Thursday night, when Gardenhire put him
in to protect a 2-2 tie in the eighth inning.
"It's exactly what I wanted to happen, and what I needed to happen," Fien said. "It was a good feeling.
It was good to get out there. Gardy put me in, in the same situation, and that goes a long way for me."
Fien needed just five pitches to get the bad taste out of his mouth, as he sat down the Sox in quick
order. Confidence restored, he figures to continue playing a big part in late-game situations.
Worth noting
• Despite the early 0-2 series hole, the White Sox are 18-10 at Target Field since Aug. 5, 2011.
• Joe Mauer ranks third among active players with 174 hits against the White Sox (Torii Hunter with 187
and Victor Martinez with 183 are the others). He's reached base safely in 20 straight home games (since
Sept. 7, 2011) and hit in 13 straight home games against Chicago.
White Sox's Jose Abreu isn't into nickname game
Though Hawk Harrelson's 'El Canon' certainly is appropriate for powerful rookie slugger, in
Cuba he commonly was known as "Pito"
By Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune reporter
9:52 PM CDT, June 20, 2014
MINNEAPOLIS — White Sox broadcaster Ken "Hawk" Harrelson has coined several memorable
nicknames to players over the years, including "Big Hurt" for Frank Thomas, "One Dog" for Lance
Johnson and "El Caballo" for Carlos Lee.
Harrelson's latest attempt is "El Canon" — which is Spanish for "The Cannon," — for rookie slugger Jose
Abreu.
Abreu was surprised before Friday's game that he had a new nickname.
"I've never heard of it," he said.
Does he like it?
"I don't really care," he said with a shrug.
Not much of an endorsement, but Abreu is used to these things by now. During spring training, Adam
Eaton said Abreu's nickname was Yogi or Oso, Spanish for bear. It reportedly was because of a
supposed resemblance to a certain cartoon bear.
Either way, that didn't stick.
"They call me everything," he said, laughing. "I don't know why."
So does Abreu have an actual nickname he prefers?
"The one I hear the most is 'Pito,'" he said, referring to the Spanish word for "whistle."
Several Latin newspaper accounts of Abreu's signing last October refer to the "Pito" nickname.
"I was a young kid and my uncle called me that," he said. "He stayed with 'Pito.' Everybody (in Cuba)
calls me 'Pito.'"
Then ''Pito'' it is. Sorry, Hawk.
Bullpen blues: With two on in the eighth inning of a tie game Thursday, left-handed hitting Joe
Mauer doubled home the go-ahead run off Jake Petricka. Manager Robin Ventura only has one lefthander in the bullpen, and Scott Downs has struggled with a 5.48 earned-run average.
Do the Sox need a second lefty in the pen to relieve the pressure on Downs?
"We could have used 'Downsie' in that situation but Joe is good against lefties," Ventura said. "That isn't
necessarily the one (we would bring a lefty in to face). But there are times when it would be nice to have
another one down there but our (right-handers), some guys are good against lefties."
Actually Mauer was hitting .220 against lefties with no home runs in 91 at-bats.
Extra innings: Ventura conceded the Sox looked flat Thursday in a game that started two hours late.
He blamed it on the rain. "Probably the waiting around," he said. "I think that happens with both teams
really. Any time you wait around like that, that's just what you end up with." … Adam Eaton has
reached base in 15 consecutive games.
White Sox rally to tie in 9th, but stumble 5-4
2 walks and single in bottom of inning spell doom as offense mostly silent in loss to Twins
By Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune reporter
MINNEAPOLIS — White Sox general manager Rick Hahn is in a tricky position as his team nears the
midway point of the 2014 season. Hahn can see there are holes that desperately need to be filled if the
Sox are going to have a chance to contend in the watered-down American League Central.
But he also is committed to staying the course for the future, and doesn't have the budget to go for
broke as predecessor Ken Williams liked to do before the trade deadline.
"The division is tight," Hahn said. "It doesn't appear as though anyone is going to run away. And we do
know you have to treat opportunities to win as sacred, and we're not going to just forsake one.
"But it's important we remain focused on our longer term goals and try to put ourselves in position to win
on an annual basis, and not just do something short-sided to jump up and maybe win one.
"So it may be a bit of a balancing act, but there's still time and we still do have some depth in the minor
league system that will allow us to add without necessarily compromising our competitiveness."
Friday's 5-4 loss to the Twins was a perfect example of how difficult it is to judge this team.
For much of the night, it looked like Hahn need not worry about the present. The Sox offense looked
lethargic after Gordon Beckham and Jose Abreu homered in the first inning, and the Twins led 4-2
entering the ninth.
But then the lackluster offense magically reappeared, and the Sox staged a two-run rally off closer Glen
Perkins to tie the game 4-4.
Dayan Viciedo's triple and Paul Konerko's pinch-hit, RBI single pulled them to within a run before Adam
Eaton's run-scoring doubled tied it and put runners on the corners with one out. But after an intentional
walk loaded the bases, Perkins escaped further damage when Conor Gillaspie grounded into a double
play.
Unfortunately, Daniel Webb issued a pair of walks and Ronald Belisario gave up the game-winning RBI
single to Brian Dozier to end it.
An official replay of the game-ending play at the plate confirmed the ruling that runner Eduardo Escobar
was safe, ending the night.
"It's great to see us battle back," Eaton said. "I'd like to do that in the fifth and sixth. We can't be waiting
that long."
Pitching and defense have plagued the Sox all season.
"They had a nice ninth inning to fight our way back in, but you just put a couple of guys on, which makes
it extra tough to be able to hold on," manager Robin Ventura said.
Pitching and defense have plagued the Sox all season, and the offense has been inconsistent since the
hot start in April. The Sox began the day with a league-leading 641 strikeouts, a problem no one seems
to be able to solve though they had only three Friday night.
"Yeah, you know what? We strike out too much," Ventura said. "You're really working on some two-strike
approaches. I mean, some guys are going to strike out. (Adam Dunn) is going to strike out. That's
something he has done his whole career, and live with it.
"(But) a little shorten up with two strikes, put it in play. There needs to be more of that and guys have to
be able to do that."
Can it be corrected?
"We're hoping it can be corrected," he said. "It's definitely something that we're focusing on. When you
start striking out this much nobody has to play defense against you."
Readers' Q&A: Colleen Kane's White Sox mailbag
The Tribune's White Sox reporter answers your questions about Gordon Beckham's future,
running out dropped third strikes and Carlos Rodon negotiations
By Colleen Kane
Tribune reporter
What are the chances of Gordon Beckham still donning a White Sox uniform in 2015? The
Bulldog nation wants to know. -- Joe D., Athens, Ga.
I’m not sure I can give you a percentage chance, but even with all of the talk about potential Gordon
Beckham trades this season, I don’t think it’s a certainty that he leaves by the end of the season. He’s off
to a much better start this season and has publicly stated that he wants to stay with the team and a new
young crop of players. But obviously at some point in the not-too-distant future the Sox are going to
have to make a decision about their second basemen. They can only leave Micah Johnson and Carlos
Sanchez knocking at the door from Triple A for so long. I suppose it’s a good predicament for the team to
have, though maybe not a good one for the players.
Why does Robin Ventura tolerate players who don't run out dropped third strikes? In the 6-5
debacle against the Angels on June 7, Tyler Flowers walked directly to the bench in the top
of the ninth, even though he saw the dropped third strike bounce right in from of him. He's
not the only player who makes no effort in these situations. A.J. Pierzynski won a playoff
game against the Angels by hustling after just a possible dropped third strike. -- Kerry L.,
Canon City, Colo.
This issue came to a head this week when Jose Abreu didn’t run out a dropped third strike against the
Giants, a pretty blatant mistake because the ball rolled all the way back toward the backstop. Bench
coach Mark Parent talked with Abreu in the dugout about it immediately, so at least that instance was
addressed. It became a little more public than many situations like that for the Sox, with Robin Ventura
saying it needed to be addressed with someone considered a team leader like Abreu. So I guess we’ll see
if it helps to make such occurrences more infrequent, even in far less pressing circumstances than A.J.
Pierzynski’s run on that controversial dropped third strike.
Any update on the Carlos Rodon negotiations? Will they get him signed? -- Thomas C.,
Arlington Heights.
The Carlos Rodon negotiations are ongoing as of Friday afternoon, I’ve been told, so I unfortunately don’t
have an update. The Sox have expressed confidence that they will be able to bring Rodon into the fold.
They have until July 18 to sign him, so you may have to exercise some patience for the next month as
the Sox work with Rodon and advisor Scott Boras to do that.
White Sox rally in ninth, but Twins prevail 5-4
By Daryl Van Schouwen / Chicago Sun-Times
MINNEAPOLIS — White Sox hitters lead the American League with 644 strikeouts.
‘‘Yeah, you know what? We strike out too much,’’ manager Robin Ventura said. ‘‘Shorten up with two
strikes, put it in play. There needs to be more of that, and guys have to be able to do that.’’
Putting the bat on the ball wasn’t a problem Friday for the Sox, who struck out only three times but lost
to the Minnesota Twins 5-4 on a two-out single by Brian Dozier in the ninth inning that scored Eduardo
Escobar, who slid headfirst across the plate.
The Sox, who also lead the AL in runs scored in the ninth inning, scored twice in the ninth to pull even
after getting nothing besides 400-foot home runs from Gordon Beckham and Jose Abreu in the first
against Ricky Nolasco.
‘‘We’re hoping it can be corrected,’’ Ventura said of the Sox’ big strikeout totals. ‘‘You have to be able to
put it in play. When you start striking out this much,
nobody has to play defense against you. So put it in play. Put pressure on the defense. Shorten up.’’
Sox reliever Daniel Webb (4-1) put pressure on himself and his teammates by walking Escobar and Sam
Fuld, the eighth and ninth batters in the Twins’ lineup, in the ninth. With closer Ronald Belisario pitching,
Dozier singled to left fielder Dayan Viciedo, whose throw to catcher Adrian Nieto might have nabbed
Escobar had it not been for a nifty slide.
‘‘I honestly didn’t think he could reach back with his other hand,’’ said Nieto, who wasn’t convinced
Escobar was safe until he saw the replay. ‘‘You tip your cap to him.’’
The Sox tied the score against Twins closer Glen Perkins on a triple by Viciedo, an RBI single by Paul
Konerko and an RBI double by Adam Eaton. Perkins escaped further damage by getting Conor Gillaspie
to hit into an inning-ending double play with the bases loaded.
‘‘It’s great to see us battle back,’’ Eaton said. ‘‘It’d be better to do that in the fifth and sixth. We can’t be
waiting that long. I know it’s baseball — I understand that — but we need to put more pressure on
people earlier. When our backs are to the wall, it shows what we can do.’’
‘‘They will grind,’’ Ventura said of his team. ‘‘That’s a nice thing to have. You just have to be able to put it
all together. You are lacking in one spot one night, and you will end up losing.’’
As the Sox approach the midpoint of the season, what they lack becomes more apparent. Before the
game, Ventura cited inconsistent contact. Winning with a high strikeout rate is possible, he said, but ‘‘you
don’t have as good a chance. It makes it very hard.’’
Tyler Flowers, struggling through a 5-for-59 slump, struck out for the 44th time in 92 plate appearances
in the second but kept the ninth-inning rally going with a single to center. It was a small consolation for a
guy who badly needed a lift, but the Sox need more than moral victories to be contenders.
‘‘I think we definitely can compete,’’ Eaton said. ‘‘We just need to find that consistency somewhere.’’
Gritty, gutty grinder Adam Eaton says he is ‘living the dream’
By Daryl Van Schouwen / Chicago Sun-Times
MINNEAPOLIS — Ask Adam Eaton how he’s doing, and he’s very likely to respond with “living the
dream.’’
But here’s the thing. It’s a sincere answer from the White Sox center fielder, who fully appreciates his
status as an every-day player in his second season in the major leagues.
“I am,’’ Eaton said before the Sox’ 4-2 loss Thursday against the Minnesota Twins in the first game of an
11-game road trip. “If you ask anybody in my family who knows me, they know the odds have never
been with me as a 5-8 mid-major college player who never made first-team [all-conference] in high
school and college. The odds are completely against me, so I feel very blessed every day to play this
great game.
“I am truly living a dream every day. I am thrilled to be here.’’
Even though he has toned down his full-throttle, max-effort sprints to first base on routine groundouts as
a means to conserve his body over the course of a 162-game schedule, Eaton personifies that gritty,
gutty grinder type who has set the tone for a team that is becoming known for playing hard from start to
finish.
“For me, when the national anthem starts, I always think about my childhood and the people who have
helped me play,’’ he said. “I’m from a military family, and it sounds corny, but it reaches into my heart
and reminds me that I’m blessed to play this game. This is not something to take for granted. You’re
playing baseball for a living.’’
Joe Mauer broke a 2-2 tie with an RBI double in the eighth against Sox reliever Jake Petricka, who gave
up singles to Danny Santana and Brian Dozier to start the inning. Kurt Suzuki scored Dozier with a
sacrifice fly to make it 4-2.
After a 2-hour, 6-minute rain delay, 30-year-old Twins right-hander Yohan Pino started off his majorleague career by striking out Eaton and retiring the first five Sox he faced. Eaton had a key hit in the Sox’
two-run third, a slap hit-and-run single to left that put Alejandro De Aza on third. After Gordon Beckham
walked to load the bases, Conor Gillaspie’s single drove in De Aza and Eaton to give the Sox a 2-1 lead.
Beckham was thrown out trying to get back to second on the throw in from center fielder Sam Fuld,
taking some steam out of the inning.
After that, Pino, the oldest player to make his debut as a starting pitcher for the Twins, retired 15 of the
last 16 batters he faced.
Jose Quintana pitched seven innings, allowing a home run to Josh Willingham in the second and an RBI
single to Mauer in the third. He gave up six hits and one walk and struck out six.
Eaton is batting .272 in the leadoff spot after going 1-for-4. He has reached base safely in 14 of his last
26 plate appearances and in 14 consecutive games after battling through a 3-for-35 run that coincided
with some minor leg issues.
Living the dream? You bet. Eaton said it’s one that started early on.
“When I started to love the game and really get into it, it was at age 8, 9 and 10 when they had ‘Sunday
Night Baseball,’ ’’ he said. “I always went to church on Sunday morning and we had church on Sunday
night, and whenever you came home, it was religious time for me and my dad to sit down and watch
baseball. [Hall of Famer and TV analyst] Joe Morgan was a technical guy who would always teach me
and my dad something. I thought it was great that I could learn something about the game watching
baseball.’’
White Sox come back in ninth, then fall short
Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS -- Brian Dozier's RBI-single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning lifted the
Minnesota Twins to a 5-4 victory over the White Sox on Friday night.
Kurt Suzuki had three hits and an RBI and the Twins picked up closer Glen Perkins (3-0), who gave up
two runs in the top of the ninth to blow his third save in 21 chances.
Daniel Webb (4-1) walked Eduardo Escobar and Sam Fuld with one out in the ninth and Escobar beat the
throw home with a beautiful slide to win it. The play was confirmed upon review.
Gordon Beckham and Jose Abreu homered for the White Sox.
Dozier, who is in consideration for the All-Star game thanks to his 15 home runs and stellar defense at
second base, was mobbed by his teammates after the big hit and cheered loudly as he exited the field.
The Twins led 4-2 in the ninth, but Paul Konerko delivered a pinch-hit, RBI-single and Adam Eaton tied
the game with a double down the left field line to tie it.
The White Sox had a golden chance to take the lead in the ninth with the bases loaded and one out, but
Dozier and shortstop Danny Santana turned a superb double play off a tough ground ball from Conor
Gillaspie to end the inning.
Escobar drove in two runs and Ricky Nolasco gave up two runs and six hits in 5 1-3 innings to help the
Twins to their second straight win after a five-game losing streak.
Hector Noesi gave up four runs, six hits and struck out four in seven innings for the White Sox, who lost
for the sixth time in the last eight games.
The Twins (34-38) have lost at least 90 games in three straight seasons and are on pace to near that
dubious number again this season. But an upgraded rotation and some promising performances from
veterans like Suzuki, who had a double, two singles and an RBI, and youngsters like Escobar have
brought some much-needed optimism to Target Field this season.
Nolasco got off to an inauspicious start when Beckham and Abreu hit 825 feet worth of home runs off
him in the first inning for a 2-0 lead. Beckham's was a screamer into the second deck in left field while
Abreu's landed in the bullpen in left-center for his 21st of the season, drawing boos from an impatient
home crowd.
But the offense picked him up. Escobar's 22nd double of the season scored two in the three-run second
inning and Suzuki drove in another to make it 4-2 in the third.
Nolasco settled down after that, not allowing a runner past first base over the next four innings. But the
right-hander who was brought in to stabilize the top of a lackluster rotation has often run into problems
with a big inning later in his starts and manager Ron Gardenhire didn't take any chances when two
hitters reached base with one out in the sixth.
Matt Guerrier got the Twins out of the jam by getting Alexei Ramirez and Dayan Viciedo to fly out and
Caleb Thielbar and Jared Burton got the ball to Perkins in the ninth.
NOTES: The White Sox had their 23rd multi-homer game of the season. They are 18-5 in those games.
... Twins RF Oswaldo Arcia returned to the lineup after getting two days off to try and clear his head
during a 2-for-32 slump. He went 0 for 3 and was hit by a pitch. ... RHP Kevin Correia (3-8, 5.29) will
take the mound for the Twins on Saturday against RHP Andre Rienzo (4-4, 5.67).
Twins answer White Sox rally with replay-upheld walk-off win
By Dan Hayes / CSN Chicago
MINNEAPOLIS — White Sox catcher Adrian Nieto couldn’t believe Eduardo Escobar touched home plate
on Friday night.
Not many other White Sox players or coaches did, either.
But 63 seconds later, the White Sox had visual evidence and a call confirmed by league officials that the
Minnesota Twins inched past them for a 5-4 walkoff win at Target Field in front of 32, 071.
Escobar touched home plate with his back hand ahead of Nieto’s tag after Brian Dozier singled to left off
Ronald Belisario with two outs to drive in the game-winning run. The rally came moments after the White
Sox scored twice to tie the game against Twins closer Glen Perkins in the top of the ninth.
“I can’t see his hands, but it’s what I felt,” Nieto said. “I was like, ‘There’s no way he got the plate’
because I felt his whole hands grab my cleat. But then on the replay it showed he reached back with his
right hand. So he did a great job.”
A former White Sox utility man, Escobar got the winning rally started when he drew a five-pitch walk
against reliever Daniel Webb (4-1). Webb also walked Sam Fuld and gave way to Scott Downs, who got
Danny Santana to fly out.
Belisario came on and despite breaking Dozier’s bat with a 1-1 sinker gave up a single to left. Dayan
Viciedo grabbed it on one hop and fired a perfect strike to Nieto, but it wasn’t there in time to get
Escobar, who was ruled safe by plate ump Andy Fletcher.
White Sox manager Robin Ventura raced onto the field to request an official review believing that Nieto
had blocked Escobar. Officials confirmed the call after 1 minute, 3 seconds when replays showed that
Nieto did block the first attempt at the plate but Escobar reached back with his right hand and tapped the
dish before Nieto could tag him.
“Fight back,” Ventura said. “Had a nice ninth inning to be able to fight our way back in. You just put a
couple of guys on, and it makes it extra tough to be able to hold on.”
The White Sox offense scored early and late but didn’t do much in between.
Gordon Beckham blasted a solo homer in the first inning to put the White Sox ahead. Two batters later,
Jose Abreu clubbed his 21st homer to give the White Sox a 2-0 lead.
But starter Ricky Nolasco settled down, and the White Sox did little else against him in 5 1/3 innings.
Nolasco did get into trouble in the sixth inning after Conor Gillaspie singled and Adam Dunn walked with
one out. But reliever Matt Guerrier got Alexei Ramirez and Viciedo to fly out to left. Though he’s off to
one of the best starts of his career, Ramirez hasn’t driven in a run since May 26.
The White Sox had more success against Perkins as Viciedo tripled off the glove of Josh Willingham with
one out in the ninth, and Paul Konerko followed with a pinch-hit RBI single to cut the lead to 4-3. Tyler
Flowers then singled, and Adam Eaton doubled in a run to tie the game for the White Sox, who lead the
majors with 46 ninth-innings runs.
But they didn’t get another.
Perkins elected to intentionally walked Beckham to load the bases and got out of the jam when Gillaspie
grounded into a double play.
“It’s great to see us battle back,” Eaton said. “I’d like to do that in the fifth and sixth. We can’t be waiting
until that long. I know it's baseball. I understand that. But we need to put more pressure on people
earlier. When our backs are to the wall, it shows what we can do. We take every at-bat as, ‘Hey this is
our last at-bat, let’s get it going.’
“Conor, that was a tough guy to face. Not easy. I got pretty lucky.
“Its tough. Belisario has nasty stuff, and he had a good swing on it and broke (Dozier’s) bat just enough
to fall in front of Tanky. And Tanky made a great throw, and it just didn’t work out.”
But courtesy of replay, Nieto is glad to know it was the correct call. He’s not happy about the end result,
but at least he’s certain the White Sox weren’t cheated.
“When I saw the replay I was just like, ‘Ah,’” Nieto said. “But it helps that there’s replay. Unfortunately it
went their way, but it could have gone the other way and gone our way. So try to come back tomorrow
and get one back.”
Robin Ventura on White Sox: ‘We strike out too much’
By Dan Hayes / CSN Chicago
The White Sox enter Friday’s game with an American League-high 641 strikeouts, and frankly, it’s too
many for their manager. White Sox skipper Robin Ventura prefers more contact and said hitting coaches
Todd Steverson and Harold Baines are working with players to improve.
Catcher Tyler Flowers leads the AL with 81 strikeouts, while Adam Dunn is right behind him with 78.
Slugger Jose Abreu also has 67 whiffs this season.
“We strike out too much,” Ventura said. “You’re really working on some two-strike approaches. Some
guys are going to strike out. Adam’s going to strike out. That’s something he’s done his whole career and
live with it. We start looking at it and how we do it as a team, and I just think we strike out too much. A
little shorten up with two strikes, put it in play. There needs to be more of that, and guys have to be able
to do that.
“We’re hoping it can be corrected ... you have to be able to put it in play. When you start striking out this
much nobody has to play defense against you. So put it in play, put pressure on the defense. Shorten
up.”
Rain delay might have affected White Sox
The White Sox looked listless at times on Thursday night, an effort Ventura in part attributes to a late
start.
The White Sox had only two hits over the final six innings in a 4-2 loss to the Minnesota Twins in a game
initially delayed 2 hours, 6 minutes by rain. One White Sox player privately objected, saying Thursday’s
game never should have been played in the first place.
But Ventura said the White Sox thought they’d play because the Twins have already had too many games
affected by weather in 2014.
“We knew we were going to wait, but we started looking at the radar and knew it was going to end,”
Ventura said. “At first you were more concerned about the surface than anything. The way fields drain,
it’s pretty good. In the old days you would have been washed out because it wouldn’t drain properly.
Thanks to guys like Roger Bossard, they make fields now that drain from underneath so it rolls off the
sides.
“Any time you wait around like that, that’s what you end up with.”
After Thursday’s loss third baseman Conor Gillaspie downplayed the notion that the delay hurt the White
Sox.
“The other team had to deal with the same conditions and the same stipulations, bouncing around from
moving the game back, etcetera,” Gillaspie said. “It just didn’t work out tonight.”
Other notes
— Outfielder Alejandro De Aza had two hits on Thursday after three knocks on Wednesday for his first
multi-hit effort in consecutive games all season. De Aza is hitting .405 with five doubles, a triple, a home
run and six RBIs in his last 12.
— Leadoff man Adam Eaton has reached base in 14 straight games and has a .413 on-base percentage
over that period. Eaton has a .338 on-base percentage this season.
White Sox might ask Avisail Garcia to play winter ball
By Dan Hayes / CSN Chicago
MINNEAPOLIS -- Outfielder Avisail Garcia isn’t expected to play again this season but the White Sox could
send him to play winter ball were he healthy.
Now nine weeks removed from surgery after he tore a labrum in his left shoulder, Garcia has begun to
perform more and more baseball activities and joined the team for its 11-day, three-city road trip.
Typical recovery time for labrum surgery is 6-to-8 months according to injury expert Will Carroll. That
would mean Garcia could be ready for action as soon as mid-October. Were he to be healthy this
offseason, the White Sox would like Garcia to play baseball in order to avoid going 10 months between
games when spring training starts, White Sox manager Robin Ventura said.
“You want him to go play so he’s ready for spring training,” Ventura said. “You don’t want that to be the
first time he has played in a year. I’m sure that’s something that will be discussed, where he’s going to
play and how much and things like that. But it would also be determined by (trainer Herm Schneider) to
see where he’s at in his rehab just to make sure he’s 100 percent when he goes out there.”
The White Sox want Garcia around the team more often as his recovers to get back to watching baseball.
The youngster admitted last week he has had a difficult time watching games because he wants to be
playing.
But the White Sox believe there’s value in watching games.
“Just the psychology of it, starting their road to come back, it’s nice to get them on the road and have
him out here,” Ventura said of Garcia and Nate Jones, who is also on the trip. “They’ll be running around
doing things in (batting practice) and doing things like that. It’s just good for them mentally to get out
there and be part of the team and watch the game.
“But when they start making their way back, you want ‘em to be around it as much as they can so when
they do get back on the field it isn’t that odd.”