Orioles 10, White Sox 2: James Shields melts down

This game could have been worse, but I don’t know if the same can be said about James Shields.

It’s technically possible because he recorded four outs, but he also gave up four homers, so at that point, it’s all the same neighborhood of miserable.

Shields gave up eight runs on six hits, two walks and two HBPs over his 1⅓. He did strike out one batter, but it was the first of the game, meaning it was all downhill from there. The Orioles started humbly with a Hyun Soo Kim singled and a Manny Machado homer for two first-inning runs. That’ll happen.

But Shields needed 35 pitches to get out of the inning, which foreshadowed the doom that arrived in the second. Once again, Shields started the inning with an out, and that was the last batter he retired. The Orioles went homer-HBP-walk-homer-homer-double — including a second for Machado — to chase Shields from the game. He exited to a mixture of cheers and boos (the cheers were for the decision to lift him).

In between those innings, Dylan Bundy struck out the side during a perfect first. That was the game.

Bullet points:

*Shields finished with a game score of -15, the second-lowest in White Sox history (-16, Ted Lyons, 1921).

*Machado ended up hitting a third homer in as many plate appearances and innings off Matt Albers, but the rest of the Sox bullpen held him hitless over his final three trips.

*Jose Abreu continues to recover, going 3-for-4 with a homer and a double.

*Carson Fulmer threw 2⅓ scoreless innings, allowing two singles but zero walks.

*Tommy Kahnle somehow threw 1⅔ innings scoreless innings despite walking four. The Sox issued nine of them overall, along with Shields’ two plunkings.

Record: 53-58 | Box score | Highlights