White Sox Waste Rodon's First Complete Game In 2-1 Loss To Angels
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Of the 104 pitches rookie left-hander Carlos Rodon threw in his first major league complete game, only two he would like to have had back.
Both ended up out of the ballpark.
Facing the Los Angels Angels for the second time in seven days, Rodon had another outstanding performance Monday night in a 2-1 loss.
The defending AL West champions had just two hits against him between Albert Pujols' leadoff homer in the second inning and C.J. Cron's tiebreaking homer with one out in the seventh.
"After the first homer, the way he responded to it was great," manager Robin Ventura said. "He was really aggressive in the zone with all of his stuff, not just the fastball. He wasn't necessarily relying on his slider as much. He was going after it with his fastball, locating it and making it tough on them."
The Angels, 1 for 32 with runners in scoring position during the White Sox's three-game sweep in Chicago last week, had two on and one out in the third when Shane Victorino flied out and Kole Calhoun fouled out. It was the last time they got a runner as far as second base until Cron's ninth homer of the season.
"I was just trying to put the ball in play, maybe try to find a gap there to get in scoring position," Cron said. "He threw me a first pitch slider in that I swung through, a little down. Then he came back with the changeup away. I put a good swing on it, and fortunately it went out."
On Aug. 8 at Chicago, Rodon held the Angels to four hits through seven innings in a 3-0 win and had a career-high 11 strikeouts.
Angels lefty Andrew Heaney allowed a run and five hits through six innings and escaped a bases-loaded jam with his 100th and final pitch. The rookie left-hander lowered his ERA to 2.43 in 10 starts this season, but remained winless in four starts after winning five of his first six.
Heaney, who hit Jose Abreu on the left foot in the third inning, plunked Tyler Saladino with another low pitch in the sixth to load the bases after two-out singles by Trayce Thompson and Alexei Ramirez. But Tyler Flowers was called out on strikes by umpire Ed Hickox on a 3-2 pitch.
"He's an aggressive hitter, so I know he's going to swing at off-speed pitches," Heaney said. "Falling behind 2-0 kind of put me in a hole, so I had to get back in the count with a fastball. I threw a 3-2 changeup that he fouled off, and it looked like he was sitting on it, so I went back to the fastball down in the zone. It was a borderline pitch, but I got the call."
Fernando Salas (3-1) pitched one inning for the victory. Joe Smith got three outs in the eighth and Huston Street set down the White Sox 1-2-3 in the ninth for his for his 28th save in 32 attempts, after blowing a save opportunity on Sunday.
The victory was only the second in eight games for the Angels, who returned home from Sunday night's 10-inning loss at Kansas City out of a playoff spot for the first time since July 2. They still trail Houston by 3 1/2 games in the division race, and Toronto by a half-game for the second wild-card spot.
After Pujols hit hit 32nd home run and 552nd of his career, Adam Eaton scored the tying run in the third on an error by second baseman Johnny Giavotella — who airmailed his throw to first base on what appeared to be an inning-ending double-play grounder to shortstop by Melky Cabrera with runners at first and second.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Angels: LHP C.J. Wilson, whose season is over due to bone spurs and bone chips in his elbow, is scheduled to undergo surgery on Thursday at the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles. He expects to be ready for spring training, following a recovery period lasting 2-3 months.
UP NEXT
White Sox: LHP John Danks (6-9) has given up five earned runs in 19 innings over his last three starts, lowering his ERA from 4.97 to 4.58. The nine-year veteran hasn't finished a season with an ERA under 4.00 since 2010, when he had a 3.72 mark and a career-high 15 victories — including a two-hit shutout against the Angels.
Angels: RHP Garrett Richards (11-9) already has equaled last season's total of hits allowed (124) in 26 2-3 fewer innings, and has given up at least one home run in 11 of his last 16 starts. Last season he yielded just five homers in 26 starts spanning 168 2-3 innings.
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