Rangers Lose To White Sox
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CHICAGO — Less than 24 hours after the Chicago White Sox bullpen couldn’t back up a quality start, Carlos Rodon turned over another impressive showing Saturday, hoping for better results.
This time, Chicago’s relievers came through.
Rodon bounced back from his first big-league loss with six solid innings and the White Sox bullpen didn’t allow a hit in three innings in a 3-2 win over the Texas Rangers.
The win snapped Chicago’s season-high eight-game losing streak.
White Sox closer David Robertson, who failed to protect a one-run lead Friday night when starter Chris Sale threw eight scoreless innings and struck out 14, posted his 14th save with a perfect ninth.
“As a reliever, you’re going to get opportunities — you’re not always going to be good at them,” Robertson said. “You’re not going to be perfect every time.”
On Saturday, Robertson and fellow relievers Zach Putnam and Zack Duke were.
The bullpen effort secured the win for Rodon (3-1) after the rookie left-hander allowed only two runs in six innings. Rodon scattered four hits and struck five while walking three.
Rodon’s six innings were enough to help Chicago end its skid — the last three games of
which were decided by one run.
“The last few days, we’ve played some close ballgames and it just hasn’t gone the way we wanted,” Rodon said. “Finally, we got a win.”
The White Sox (29-38) built a 3-0 lead in the third inning. After stringing together three straight singles, designated hitter Adam LaRoche delivered an RBI sacrifice fly before two more runs scored when a routine Alexei Ramirez ground ball skipped off the glove of Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus and into center field.
The error — the Rangers’ second in two days after an eight-game stretch without one — allowed White Sox right fielder Avisail Garcia and first baseman Jose Abreu to score.
After hitting two batters to load the bases, Rangers starting pitcher Nick Martinez (5-3) got out of the jam by striking out second baseman Carlos Sanchez.
Martinez took the loss despite allowing five hits and yielding two earned runs in six innings.
“We didn’t help him out,” Rangers manager Jeff Banister said. “He was not as sharp, had a tough time finding the range with the breaking ball.”
The Rangers (37-32) answered with two fourth-inning runs. Catcher Carlos Corporan singled in left fielder Ryan Rua, who led off with a single before third baseman Adam Rosales scored on a fielder’s choice by second baseman Rougned Odor.
That trimmed the deficit to a run before Rodon held Texas scoreless in the sixth to leave with a one-run lead.
Enter the White Sox bullpen.
Putnam struck out the side in the seventh before Duke pitched a perfect eighth.
Putnam’s inning included a challenge of a long fly ball down the right field line by center fielder Leonys Martin. Home plate umpire Phil Cuzzi reviewed the hit to determine whether the ball sailed foul or remained fair for a solo home run that would have tied the score.
After more than a three-minute review, video showed the ball landing in foul territory. Putnam then struck Martin out.
“Given where the ball (travels), the flight, you know it’s not where the ball lands, it’s where it goes over,” Banister said. “I felt like we had a really strong case.”
That left the game up to Robertson, looking for redemption after Friday’s disappointment. He responded, retiring the Rangers in order in the ninth for the save and snapping Chicago’s longest losing streak since 2013.
White Sox pitchers finished with 11 strikeouts after Sale’s double-digit strikeout effort on Friday.
“Carlos pitched his tail off and the guys played hard all game,” Robertson said. “We had a few things happen in the field which we needed to happen. We ended up with more runs than them and we got a win — and we’ll take it.
