Sale Pitches 2-Hitter, White Sox Beat Padres 4-1
CHICAGO (AP) — Chris Sale pitched a two-hitter, Paul Konerko homered and the Chicago White Sox defeated the San Diego Padres 4-1 on Sunday.
Sale (5-0) struck out nine, walked none and threw 100 pitches. He froze Everth Cabrera for a called strike three to end the game, and retired the final 14 batters.
Sale has allowed just one earned run in his last 25 innings over four starts, and has a 1.59 ERA overall. The lefty was on the disabled list in late April because of a strained muscle in his pitching arm.
Konerko also doubled and drove in three runs as the White Sox won for the eighth time in 13 games.
Eric Stults (2-6) gave up four runs and five hits in six innings.
Sale sailed through the first four innings, retiring 12 straight batters to start the game. He struck out four in the first two innings before the Padres began swinging early in the count.
Konerko gave Chicago a 1-0 lead in the second when he hit a drive to the back of the left-field bullpen for his third homer of the season.
Chase Headley led off the Padres fifth with his fifth homer. Tommy Medica followed with a single, but Sale quickly regrouped. He got Jedd Gyorko to ground into a double play and struck out Yonder Alonso to end the inning.
Sale was economical with his pitches. Through eight innings he had thrown just 84, making the decision to bring him out for the ninth that much easier for manager Robin Ventura.
The White Sox regained the lead in the fifth on a solo homer by Tyler Flowers. They added two more in the sixth when Konerko doubled down the left-field line with two out, driving in Dayan Viciedo and Alexei Ramirez.
NOTES: White Sox 1B Jose Abreu (tendinitis left ankle) played in a simulated game for the second straight day and said he feels fine. He is expected to be activated DL for Monday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. "Sitting out has been difficult," Abreu said through a translator. "But you have to recognize there are things we don't control." ... Padres CF Cameron Maybin missed the game and is listed as day-to-day after leaving Saturday's game with a sore right calf. ... Director of scouting Doug Laumann said that the White Sox, who pick third in Thursday's amateur draft, "more than likely" would select a pitcher in the first round.
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