White Sox Division Lead Over Detroit Shrinks To Half A Game
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Dan Haren earned his first win at home in more than a month, Mark Trumbo capped a four-run first inning with a two-run single and the Los Angeles Angels beat the White Sox 4-2 on Saturday night, trimming Chicago's AL Central lead to a half-game over Detroit.
Haren (12-11) allowed two runs and six hits in six-plus innings, struck out four and walked one for his first win in Anaheim since beating Tampa Bay on July 27. He had been 0-3 with an 8.77 ERA in three home starts since then.
Ernesto Frieri pitched the ninth to earn his 20th save in 23 chances after giving up a go-ahead home run in each of his previous two outings.
The Angels have won six of nine and are 2 1/2 games behind Oakland for the second AL wild card.
Jose Quintana (6-5) gave up four runs and six hits in five innings, struck out three and walked five for the White Sox, who have scored just 10 runs in their last five games. Chicago struck out 12 times in a 6-2 loss in the series opener Friday.
White Sox manager Robin Ventura wasn't around to see the end of his team's fourth consecutive loss after being ejected in the fourth for arguing a balk called on Quintana.
Ventura was tossed by first base umpire Ed Hickox with the White Sox trailing 4-1. The Angels had runners at the corners with none out when Quintana made an attempted pickoff throw to first baseman Paul Konerko, who was playing way off the bag against the right-handed hitting Mike Trout. Quintana led Konerko to the bag with his throw, and was called for his second balk of the season.
The Angels failed to score in that inning after loading the bases.
They tied a season high with four runs in the first. Albert Pujols' ground-rule double — the 500th of his career — scored Trout, who walked. Torii Hunter added an RBI single before Trumbo's two-run single with two outs made it 4-0.
Chicago's first run came on Konerko's 24th homer leading off the second. They added another run on pinch-hitter DeWayne Wise's groundout to second off Garrett Richards.
NOTES: It was Ventura's fourth ejection in his first year as a manager. His last was on Aug. 25 against Seattle. ... Konerko's homer was the first extra-base hit of his career against Haren, who had previously given up six singles to Konerko.
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