Robertson, White Sox Collapse In 9th Inning To Waste Sale's Gem
SEATTLE (AP) — Adam Lind hit a three-run pinch-hit homer in the ninth inning to give the Seattle Mariners an improbable 4-3 comeback victory over the White Sox on Monday night, handing Chicago its fifth consecutive loss and wasting a dominant performance by Chris Sale.
Seattle, which had managed just one hit in eight innings off Sale, rallied against closer David Robertson (0-2), who had recorded 13 straight save opportunities.
Franklin Gutierrez singled to open the ninth, but was forced out at second on Robinson Cano's fielder's choice. Nelson Cruz walked and Dae-Ho Lee struck out.
Kyle Seager followed with an RBI single to center to make it 3-1. Lind pinch-hit for Chris Iannetta and hammered an 0-1 pitch over the wall in right-center for his 14th home run.
Sale, bidding to become the first 15-game winner in the majors, allowed just a first-inning single en route to eight scoreless innings.
Tim Anderson and Todd Frazier homered to account for all of the runs for the White Sox, who were outscored 16-1 in being swept three games over the weekend by the Angels.
Sale gave up a one-out single in the first to Gutierrez, who was erased on a double play. Sale walked Leonys Martin in the third and then did not allow another runner until tiring in the seventh.
Sale hit Gutierrez and Lee with pitches in the seventh, but escaped by striking out Seager to end the inning.
Iannetta walked to open the eighth, but also was doubled up. Sean O'Malley then walked, but Sale enticed Daniel Robertson into an inning-ending force out.
Sale, tied for the A.L. lead with three complete games, struck out six and walked one before being lifted after 100 pitches.
David Rollins (1-0) pitched the ninth inning for the win.
Wade LeBlanc, making his fourth start since being acquired in a trade with Toronto, allowed three runs on nine hits in seven innings, striking out six and walking one.
The White Sox grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Anderson hammered a 1-0 pitch from LeBlanc into the second deck in left field for his fifth home run.
Frazier boosted the lead to 3-0 in the third with his 26th home run, following a leadoff single by Melky Cabrera.
ONE LESS ERROR, STILL A LOSS
An official scoring change reduced Seattle's errors from four to three in Sunday's 8-1 loss to Houston. The Mariners originally were charged with two errors on a second-inning play when Kyle Seager misplayed Carlos Gomez's hit to third and Gomez continued on to second on a throwing error by left fielder Seth Smith. The change removed the error charged to Smith. No runs were scored in the inning.
UP NEXT
White Sox: Left-hander Jose Quintana (7-8, 3.21 ERA) is 2-7 with a 4.38 ERA over his last 11 starts after going 5-1 with a 1.36 in his first seven. He's making his first start since throwing one scoreless inning in his first All-Star Game appearance.
Mariners: Left-hander Wade Miley (6-6, 5.44) has lost all three starts since coming off the disabled list with a left shoulder impingement, as well as the one prior to going on the DL. Over that stretch, he is 0-4 with a 6.00 ERA.
TRAINING ROOM
White Sox: LHP Carlos Rodon, on the 15-day DL retroactive to July 6 with a sprained left wrist, continues to improve and played catch over the weekend. "He's coming along OK, I don't think he's coming along as fast we'd hoped, but it was his first time going out and throwing and getting going," manager Robin Ventura said. "Hopefully, today we'll find a little bit more about him."
Mariners: SS Ketel Marte was not in the starting lineup, but not because of the ankle he injured on Friday. Marte sat out Saturday, but played Sunday. "Ketel's under the weather today, more of like a viral thing," manager Scott Servais said.
RHP Taijuan Walker, on the 15-day DL with right foot tendinitis, played catch Sunday without wearing a protective boot and showed no after effects. "We'll probably start ramping that up a little bit, but reports were fine yesterday," Servais said.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press.
