Following their worst effort of the spring, the Chicago White Sox responded with a vengeance and pounded the Arizona Diamondbacks, 15-2, on Monday.
The pitching staff threw a combined no-hitter through seven innings, before Alberto Rosario doubled off Robbie Ross Jr. If the Chisox could have squeezed just six more hitless outs, it would have been the 30th spring training combined no-hitter ever recorded.
So yeah, not a whole lot went wrong, just one day after the Oakland A’s dismantled the White Sox, 14-0. Even Spring Carson Fulmer was good.
The righthander breezed through his first five hitters, controlling his pitches well and getting ahead in the count. He then walked a batter, but got Daniel Descalso to fly out to end the second inning on a 2-0 pitch.
In the third, Fulmer walked his first two hitters — on eight tosses — but made pitches when he needed to and got out of the frame unscathed. His finished the day without allowing a hit through four innings, surrendering just three walks. That fifth rotation spot looks a lot better for him after today.
Xavier Cedeno relieved Fulmer and turned in one inning of scoreless ball. Hector Santiago, also in the mix for that fifth spot, threw two scoreless innings with only one walk.
Ross was the only pitcher to run into trouble. He allowed two hits and two earned runs, facing the minor league Diamondbacks.
The final score tells it all from an offensive standpoint. The only starter who did not record a hit was Avisail Garcia.
Adam Engel had another nice day, helping his cause for the starting center fielder role come Opening Day. He went 3-for-3 with a HBP, and drove in two to get the scoring parade underway.
Spring training All-Star Matt Davidson also continued his strong spring. He took Albert Suarez deep and added two more hits.
As Steve Stone said on the broadcast, players normally have an extra edge when they play their former team; however, ex-Diamondback Davidson has shown that edge the whole spring, with his .358 batting average.
Yoan Moncada, Welington Castillo and Tim Anderson added multi-hit games. Moncada continues to shine in at leadoff, contributing three RBIs and a run on the day.
Matt Skole and Nicky Delmonico also drove in one run apiece.
In today’s “only in spring training” moment, Skole hit an apparent grand slam in the middle of the White Sox’s seven-run fifth inning, clocking a ball high off of the batter’s eye in center field. In either a quirk of Salt River ground rules or a dead miss by second base umpire Ron Kulpa, the clout was ruled in play as it bounced back onto the field, and Skole was tagged for the first out of the inning while jogging into second base for what he thought was, at least, a ground-rule double.
Skole’s hit came in the middle of a run where otherwise nine straight White Sox would have reached base, so the fifth could have blown the scoreboard with a double-figure crooked number if not for that call.
Skole, a former Washington Nationals minor league player of the year, is hitting .333 this spring. He could be a potential trade piece when the White Sox begin buying in the next few years.
Overall, the White Sox did a nice job not repeating the flat performance they mustered on Sunday.