Covey Earns 1st Win, White Sox Hit 3 Homers In Rout Of O's
CHICAGO (AP) — Dylan Covey's first major league win was both impressive and worth the wait.
Covey tossed seven strong innings, Yoan Moncada and Adam Engel each hit three-run homers and the Chicago White Sox pounded the Baltimore Orioles 11-1 on Wednesday night.
Covey (1-1) allowed one run on six hits and struck out eight in his 20th game and 14th start — and longest outing — in the majors.
"It took a while to get it," Covey said. "It's just been a process for me.
"I learned a lot in Triple-A this year. I think I just became more comfortable with myself on the mound. I don't fight myself anymore."
The 26-year-old right-hander was recalled from Triple-A Charlotte on Saturday to take Carson Fulmer's spot the in rotation after Fulmer was assigned to the farm club.
Covey made one start with Chicago earlier this season, losing on April 28 at Kansas City. He was 0-7 with a 7.71 ERA in 12 starts and six relief appearances in 2017.
In this one, Covey attacked the strike zone with "90 percent fastballs in the first five innings or so," and then got a feel for his off-speed and breaking pitches the third time through the Orioles lineup.
"That was nice for him, his first career victory in pretty convincing fashion," manager Rick Renteria said.
Jose Rondon added his first major league homer, a two-run shot in the seventh, as last-place Chicago rolled to its fifth win in seven games.
"It was a very impressive game, a nice game for us," Rondon said through a translator. "Dylan got his first victory and for me it was my first homer. We were having fun with this game and it felt good."
Baltimore, last in the AL East, has lost four of five overall and is 5-21 on the road.
Moncada's shot to center in a four-run third inning put the White Sox ahead for good after Jace Peterson singled in Baltimore's lone run in the second. Moncada's seventh homer was his first since April 26, a stretch that included time on the disabled list with left hamstring tightness.
Engel, who entered hitting .183, added three singles and matched a career high with four hits. His drive to left in the fifth was his first homer since last September.
Alex Cobb (1-6) lasted just 3 2/3 innings, his shortest outing since April 19. The right-hander allowed six runs on eight hits.
"It's the worst feeling when you're out on the mound and you go through the checklist of adjustments that you normally make to get the ball to do what you want, and it's still not doing it," Cobb said.
Covey looked shaky only in the second, when Baltimore used two singles and a walk to take a 1-0 lead.
In the third, Tim Anderson walked and Engel singled with one out before Moncada connected on a 1-2 pitch from Cobb.
Chicago tacked on two more runs in the fourth on RBI singles by Yolmer Sanchez and Jose Abreu.
Engel's shot with two outs in the in the fifth off Pedro Araujo made it 9-1. Rondon's drive complete the scoring.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Orioles: DH/OF Mark Trumbo was unavailable on Wednesday night because of a sore right knee and is day-to-day. Manager Buck Showalter said Trumbo suffered the injury sliding into second base on Tuesday night. ... Showalter said closer Zach Britton (right Achilles tendon) "feels good" after throwing 20 pitches in a one-inning simulated game on Tuesday. Britton is scheduled to toss a two-inning simulated game on Saturday before beginning a rehab assignment. ... RHP Darren O'Day (hyperextended elbow) "didn't feel good enough" to throw a side session on Wednesday, Showalter said.
White Sox: LF Leury Garcia left the game in the fifth inning with a left knee sprain after stealing third. He was replaced by Trayce Thompson. ... DH Matt Davidson (stiff back) was a last-minute scratch before the game. Rondon took his spot. Renteria said both Garcia and Davidson would be re-evaluated on Thursday.
UP NEXT
Orioles right-hander Dylan Bundy (2-6, 4.70) faces White Sox righty Lucas Giolito (3-4, 6.42) in the finale of the four-game series on Thursday. Bundy has been roughed up in four of his last five starts, going 1-4. He was 1-2 with a 1.42 ERA after his first five outings. Giolito has allowed a combined five runs in 11 2/3 innings in his last two starts, both wins. His 34 walks allowed are most in the AL.
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