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I was out supporting local baseball tonight, so I'm still working my way through this one. Bullet point recap, though:
*Chris Sale bounced back from two ugly starts with a gem, pitching 7⅓ innings of two-run ball. He allowed those two runs in the easiest way possible -- after starting with six shutout innings and with the White Sox leading 7-0. He allowed just five hits, two walks and a hit batter while striking out seven, and really ramped up the efficiency to spare the bullpen, extending his start's shelf life with a six-pitch fifth and a nine-pitch sixth.
*The Condor had such a huge lead because the offense continues to look professional. Avisail Garcia led the charge, blasting two big home runs. The first was a solo shot in the fourth inning, as he hit the bejeezus out of a hanging Matt Shoemaker slider to give the Sox a 3-0 lead. He then doubled the margin in the sixth by belting a outside-corner Shoemaker fastball out to right center for a three-run shot.
*Before Garcia's power display, Tyler Flowers beat him over the fence with a solo shot to center in the third inning.
*Garcia and Flowers both had two hits, and were two of six Sox with multi-hit games. Tyler Saladino had the only one-hit night, and Adam LaRoche (0-for-4) was the only Sox to not reach base.
*Melky Cabrera had two hits, but he also had a couple head-scratchers. He threw the ball to the infield from his butt in the first inning after he slipped trying to plant and throw on Mike Trout's double, and hey, he hit the cutoff man. But he nearly cost his team a run in the seventh by running into the third out at third base on Alexei Ramirez's bloop single to left, right around the time Jose Abreu reached home.
Granted, if a review showed that Cabrera was out before Abreu touched the plate, the Sox may have only won by five runs instead of six. But coming off of three consecutive one-run losses to the Royals, they have to be more vigilant about that kind of stuff.
Record: 52-58 | Box score | Play-by-play | Highlights