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The story coming into today's game was if the White Sox were finally going to put a run on the board. First time since 1968, the Sox were shut out three consecutive times and no Sox team was ever shut out four games in a row. After reaching 34 scoreless innings, catcher Omar Narvaez in his first major league at-bat roped a double to left and would come around to score on Adam Eaton's two-out double.
Unfortunately, that is all the offense could muster, as the lifeless group lost again to the last-place Los Angeles Angels, 8-1 completing the sweep. After stringing together five consecutive series wins, the White Sox now have lost five of their last six games against Angels and Atlanta Braves to dip back below .500 with a 45-46 record.
Starting for the White Sox was Jacob Turner, who filled in for Carlos Rodon as he is nursing a sprained wrist. Never all that effective in Charlotte, Turner had a horrible time against Albert Pujols who hit two two-run home runs in the first and fourth innings. Then the game got out of hand quickly for Turner as he allowed four runs in the fourth, and walked the first two batters in the fifth before being yanked. Those walks would eventually come around to score as Michael Ynoa came in for relief, and Turner's final line is what many expected it to be: 4 IP, 7 H, 8 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, 2 HR.
Angels pitcher Jered Weaver continue his dominance over the Sox, only allowing the one earned run over seven innings. In 15 career starts against Chicago, Weaver is 12-2 with a 1.89 ERA.
The lone takeaway from this game was the much-anticipated debut of Carson Fulmer, the Sox 2015 first round pick. His first batter faced was Pujols and it started with a 93-mph fastball looked at for a strike. The second pitch was a changeup, new to Fulmer's arsenal that was getting mixed reviews in Birmingham, that Pujols missed for strike two. Then to put Pujols away, Fulmer used his filthy curveball to get a check swing strikeout against a future Hall-of-Famer.
Fulmer was effective enough to make it through the seventh and eighth innings, throwing 21 pitches (15 strikes), hitting a batter, allowing a hit, and striking out two. For a series that was quite disheartening, Fulmer's performance is the lone positive takeaway.
Record: 45-46 | Box Score |Play-by-Play