WHITE SOX HEADLINES OF JULY

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1 WHITE SOX HEADLINES OF JULY 4, 2016 Quintana, Sox handle Astros for series win Scott Merkin and Jordan Ray, MLB.com Aided by bats, Quintana returns to win column Scott Merkin, MLB.com Morneau set to begin rehab assignment Scott Merkin, MLB.com Putnam plays catch, hopes to avoid surgery Scott Merkin, MLB.com Hinch ejected after controversial Quintana pitch Brian McTaggart, MLB.com Sox, Shields set to host Yanks, CC in opener Scott Merkin, MLB.com Sunday s recap: White Sox 4, Astros 1 Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune Jose Quintana gets first win since May 8; White Sox win 4th straight series Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune White Sox s Justin Morneau to head out on Charlotte rehab assignment Monday Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune Quintana beats Astros, White Sox take fourth straight series Daryl Van Schouwen, Chicago Sun- Times Frazier won t get coveted Sox-Cubs duel with Bryant in HR Derby Daryl Van Schouwen, Chicago Sun-Times McKnight: Chicago White Sox hanging in there Connor McKnight, Daily Herald Quintana snaps losing skid as White Sox beat Astros 4-1 Kristie Rieken, Associated Press Jose Quintana gets a win, White Sox take the series vs. Astros Lauren Comitor, The Athletic Quintana, Sox handle Astros for series win By Scott Merkin and Jordan Ray / MLB.com July 3rd, 2016 HOUSTON -- Jose Quintana and the White Sox defense held the Astros' often-potent offense down and never let them up, allowing only three hits in a 4-1 win Sunday afternoon at Minute Maid Park. Quintana threw seven innings and retired his final 15 batters faced to help the lefty snap his seven-game losing streak and give Chicago the series win. "This was as locked in as he's been in a while," White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. "It was nice to see, and we end up getting enough runs for him. I thought he was right on." The White Sox scored twice in the third against Astros starter Collin McHugh to take a 2-1 lead, and Houston squandered a chance in the bottom of the inning when it put runners at first and second with no outs and couldn't advance them. The only hits the Astros managed against Quintana were a leadoff homer by George Springer in the first and a double by Jason Castro in the third. "It's unfortunate," Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. "We were in a position to win yesterday's game. We're close today until they pulled out away. You gotta give credit to what they did: They outhit us this series." The win is the second straight for Chicago (42-40), which took Saturday's game, 7-6, and the second straight loss for Houston (43-39). It snaps a five-series winning streak for the Astros and marks the first time they've lost back-to-back home games since May The White Sox have won four straight series.

2 "We are a very good team," said White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu through interpreter Billy Russo. "We have been working for this, and it's just a matter of believing in ourselves. The results are there. We are winning games. We are winning series, and that's important. It's just a matter of believe in ourselves, and we believe in ourselves right now." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED The Great Escape: The first two runners reached base against Quintana to open the third, leaving him to protect a one-run lead against Marwin Gonzalez, Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa. And Quintana did just that with a strikeout and two flyouts to center. That inning began the run of 15 straight retired. "I try to get the first out and keep the runners on base," Quintana said. "I try to keep the opportunity to take the ground ball for a double play. I got a strikeout, and that's a tough lineup for us. I was trying to throw a good pitch and keep that ball down, and it worked." Not enough meat: The meat of the order for the Astros, specifically Altuve and Correa, couldn't get much of anything going. The duo, which has combined for 100 RBIs and 27 home runs this season, went a combined 0-for-8 at the plate and was unable to bring a runner home with two on and one out in the bottom of the third. "It's important [for us to get hits]," Correa said. "We're hitting in the middle of the order, and when both of us go 0-fer, we're not gonna have a very good chance at winning the game. Obviously, we gotta be able to do a better job tomorrow in order to give us a chance to win." Be aggressive: When Alex Avila opened the eighth with a single off of reliever Chris Devenski, the White Sox forced the issue to increase the lead. Pinch-runner Tyler Saladino swiped second and then scored on Brett Lawrie's single to center, challenging Carlos Gomez's throw home. Lawrie took second on the throw and then easily came home on a Dioner Navarro single. Hinch tossed: Hinch was ejected in the seventh inning after complaining about a ball thrown behind Astros designated hitter Evan Gattis. Devenski hit Abreu with a pitch in the top of the seventh, and then Quintana threw a pitch behind Gattis in the bottom half of the inning, which led to the benches being warned. Hinch was ejected soon after. "They take a shot at Gattis, they miss," Hinch said. "They take a second shot at Gattis? They don't get two free shots at your players.... For them to allow Quintana, who's been perfect the entire game to take two shots at Evan Gattis, it's unfair." QUOTABLE "I don't know if anybody else saw it, but it was very clearly intentional. If you want to protect your player, you get one shot. You go in there and you execute it and you execute it safely, but you don't throw at a guy twice. You don't throw at him, miss him twice and then get to stay in the game. I was pretty disappointed with that way that turned out." -- McHugh, on the Quintana throws to Gattis "He hit my baby." (laughs) "It's OK, it's OK. That's baseball." -- Abreu, through interpreter Russo, on getting hit in the left triceps by a Devenski pitch just below a tattoo of his son SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS Astros closer Will Harris set a team record by not allowing an extra-base hit in 35 consecutive games, breaking Dave Smith's old mark of 34 set during the seasons. WHAT'S NEXT

3 White Sox: James Shields gets the call to start Chicago's final first-half homestand against the Yankees, with a 1:10 p.m. CT first pitch at U.S. Cellular Field on Monday. Shields is coming off easily his best start as a member of the White Sox, allowing one run on eight hits over 6 2/3 innings. Astros: Lance McCullers takes the mound in the series opener against the Mariners at 1:10 p.m. CT from Minute Maid Park on Monday. It will be McCullers' first action in almost two weeks after missing his last scheduled start due to a blistered right index finger. Aided by bats, Quintana returns to win column Lefty holds Astros to 2 hits in 7 IP as run support helps him to 1st victory since May 8 By Scott Merkin / MLB.com July 3rd, 2016 HOUSTON -- It took exactly one word for Jose Quintana to sum up his first victory since May 8, ending a stretch of seven straight losses and nine straight starts without a win Sunday afternoon at Minute Maid Park. "Wow," said Quintana with a broad smile after leading the White Sox to a 4-1 win over the Astros and the team's fourth straight series victory. And Quintana did enough on the field to earn that same sort of superlative reaction from his teammates. George Springer homered to right-center on Quintana's second pitch of the game, and the White Sox southpaw allowed a Jason Castro double leading off the third and nothing more over seven innings, striking out four and walking two. He retired the final 15 hitters faced. But the difference on this occasion vs. other strong outings during the rough stretch was that the White Sox scored some runs for Quintana, who owned a Major League-worst 1.37 run support average since May 14. The White Sox took the lead with two in the third and added on with two in the eighth. "Our guys are pitching well, but you're opportunistic where you're getting some runs," White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. "You feel like you leave a few out there, and even during the rough stretch, we were leaving a lot of guys on third base. Today, we were able to knock a few in." "Good reaction," a still smiling Quintana said when asked how he felt about the White Sox add-ons. "More runs. Sometimes I wait for them. Today, the lineup made a good effort." One problem spot for Quintana came in the third, when he walked Springer after Castro's double. Marwin Gonzalez, Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa were next in line, but Quintana kept the lead at 2-1 by striking out Gonzalez and retiring Altuve and Correa on flyouts. His goal, at that point, was simple: Get the first out and try to keep the runners on base and the double play in order. Quintana hit that goal and then some. "I am very happy for him because he is such a fighter," said White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu through interpreter Billy Russo. "He comes every day to give us the best that he has. In the last outings, we weren't able to support him and give him some runs. We did it today." "Happy flight," Abreu added in English. Quintana also unofficially backed up Abreu in the seventh, after Abreu took a little umbrage to Chris Devenski hitting him with a pitch, by throwing behind Evan Gattis in the bottom half and earning warnings for both benches. Astros manager A.J. Hinch was then ejected for complaining about Quintana's throw. Quintana and Ventura said that he missed inside. That spot stood as one of the few Quintana missed during his return to the win column.

4 "He's always the same mentally," Ventura said. "Even as difficult as it's been for him to get run support, he never wavers as far as his own confidence. He's one of the better pitchers in the league. If he gets run support, his record is obviously a lot different. Mentally, he's as tough as we've got." Morneau set to begin rehab assignment Left-handed hitter s time with Triple-A Charlotte should be final test before joining White Sox By Scott Merkin / MLB.com July 3rd, 2016 HOUSTON -- Justin Morneau begins his rehab assignment Monday with Triple-A Charlotte in what figures to be the left-handed-hitting veteran's final test before joining the White Sox sometime shortly after the All- Star break. "I'm sure I'll be nervous to be out there and let it fly in a game, but it will be interesting," Morneau said in between his Sunday workouts at Minute Maid Park. "Like I've talked about before, it's less controlled when a guy is actually trying to get me out, not trying to get me to hit it. "It will be a few tests that will have to be passed along the way. Everything has gone well so far, so I don't see why it would be any different at this point." Morneau, 35, joined the White Sox via a one-year, $1 million deal with incentives on June 9 and continued his recovery from offseason surgery to repair the primary flexor in his left elbow. He has done work with the team, making the road trips and getting acclimated before he comes back from the Minor League assignment. "To know the guys before, instead of just showing up in the middle and stepping in the lineup, having that comfort level of being around the guys -- taking a few trips and on the road is when you really spend a lot more time together," Morneau said. "At home, it's a little different. Everyone has their families there, and they come to the ballpark and leave. When you're on the road, you get to know each other, card games on the plane and that kind of stuff. It's a situation, I'm glad it worked out this way to be able to spend some time and feel good around the guys." Charlotte has three home games against Pawtucket and four against Gwinnett prior to the International League All-Star break, which coincides with the Major League All-Star break. Morneau previously said 30 at-bats would be what he guesses as the minimum necessary with the Knights, which means a return to the White Sox is possible during their road trip to Anaheim and Seattle to start the second half. "The problem we'll run into is the All-Star break," Morneau said. "At that point I possibly could be ready, but it wouldn't make sense to take the four days off after that. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. "Could I be ready in a week? I don't know, but it wouldn't make sense, even if we tried to rush, to be ready in a week and then have four days off. We'll see what it feels like tomorrow, and we'll take it one day at a time." Adding a left-handed bat to the lineup would be a great benefit for the White Sox, especially one who captured the National League batting title two years ago. "Right now, we're using the two catchers so you can do that," White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. "His presence in the lineup becomes a bit different than the other guys. He's always been a valuable bat in the middle of the lineup. That's not going to change."

5 Putnam plays catch, hopes to avoid surgery Reliever placed on DL on June 21 with right elbow injury By Scott Merkin / MLB.com July 3rd, 2016 HOUSTON -- The specter of surgery continues to hang over White Sox reliever Zach Putnam, who was placed on the disabled list on June 21 with ulnar neuritis in his right elbow. But he continues to work hard to avoid that outcome and get back to the mound this season. "I'm just hoping for the best, honestly," Putnam said. "We are doing everything that we can, and I know I'm doing everything I can away from the field as far as the things that I need to do to increase the possibility of this thing recovering on its own and allowing me to pitch the rest of the season." Putnam joined the team in Houston and played catch from 60 feet on Friday and Saturday. He plans to do the same Monday, when the White Sox return to U.S. Cellular Field. "I just played a little bit of catch and nothing really too indicative of anything," Putnam said. "I didn't put a lot of tax on it or anything. But it's fine. We are going to continue to kind of stay the course, throw again Monday and each time increase the workload a little bit and just re-evaluate after each session." Once Putnam began to throw, he figured he'd get a little better idea of how the elbow had improved or changed painwise. But he certainly wasn't expecting it to be 100 percent, knowing "there's some stuff in there." If Putnam eventually opts for surgery, it potentially could be of the arthroscopic variety to remove bone chips in the elbow. But there's no final date set in terms of making a decision on how to move forward. "We haven't talked about anything like that," Putnam said. "I'm sure there will be a point like that. If we get to a point where we are still kind of wondering how it's going to respond, I think the goal is to try, in a reasonably timely manner, to figure out what way we are going to go with it. "Obviously, I can't just continue to play catch at 60 feet for the next however long. But there hasn't been a specific date talked about." White Sox manager Robin Ventura understands that much of the decision will be based on how Putnam responds to continued treatment. "He's continuing to treat it, and [White Sox head athletic trainer Herm Schneider] is working with him," Ventura said. "This is something that I don't really know if there's a timetable to it, because he's going to continue to treat it and see if we can get it back to where he starts pitching again." Hinch ejected after controversial Quintana pitch After Devenski hits Abreu, both benches warned following Chicago lefty s throw behind Gattis By Brian McTaggart / MLB.com July 3rd, 2016 HOUSTON -- By the time Astros manager A.J. Hinch met with the media following Sunday's 4-1 loss to the White Sox at Minute Maid Park, he was still fuming over his seventh-inning ejection, which closely followed a Jose Quintana pitch that sailed behind the back of designated hitter Evan Gattis. Plate umpire Ryan Blakney warned both benches following the Quintana pitch, which came on the heels of Astros pitcher Chris Devenski hitting White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu on the arm in the top of the inning, and Blakney soon had an angry Hinch in his face taking up for his team and his player.

6 Hinch, ejected for the second time this season, said Devenski didn't hit Abreu on purpose and took exception with Quintana throwing two pitches at Gattis. The first pitch of the at-bat was up and in on his hands before Quintana threw behind him. "They don't get two free shots at your players," Hinch said. "... For them to allow Quintana, who's been perfect the entire game and making his pitches -- he's given up a couple of hits and one home run to the opposite field -- to take two shots at Evan Gattis, it's unfair. To warn him is to admit there is a problem. To not eject him is a choice they made [that] I didn't appreciate.... I respect the fact they want to protect their players; you can't do it twice." The White Sox played coy. "I tried to go inside," Quintana said. "I missed a spot a couple times. Today, I missed too much. I missed a spot, that is all." Said tight-lipped manager Robin Ventura: "I don't know. He missed inside." Hinch said it's important to understand the umpires warned the benches only because Quintana was trying to hit Gattis, which he says meant Quintana should have been ejected. "If you warn somebody, you're saying he intended to throw the ball behind him or at him," Hinch said. "That's grounds for dismissal from the game or ejection. The fact they didn't do it allowed him to stay in the game and dot the next pitch to Gattis inside and the next pitch to Gattis down and away and get him out with a breaking ball down below the zone. This guy made his pitches all day, and the one he intended for behind him, he made that pitch, too." As for Gattis, he said he wasn't sure if Quintana was right or wrong for throwing behind him, but he said the intent was clear. "The first pitch up and in, yeah, if that pitch is thrown and we go back to baseball, I feel like we're not even talking about it," Gattis said. "I think the pitch behind me it's just obvious what the intent was." Sox, Shields set to host Yanks, CC in opener By Scott Merkin / MLB.com July 3rd, 2016 Entering Sunday's action, eight teams were within four games of the American League Wild Card. Two of those teams will play Monday at U.S. Cellular Field, as the White Sox host the Yankees to start their final homestand before the All-Star break. White Sox manager Robin Ventura knows the importance of these next six games, but he is more of a one-game-at-a-time sort of individual. "Just keep playing," Ventura said. "We're still in the hunt. You picked yourself up from where you were a month ago. You're continuing to grind out wins. You come in every day with the optimism of winning that day. "Streaks are great, but every day you have to play for that day. You can't sit there and think you're going to win 10 in a row. Taking care of business on that day you're playing has been the mantra we've had. You show up and take care of business that day." This Fourth of July contest features James Shields on the mound for the White Sox and CC Sabathia for the Yankees. Shields is coming off of his first victory and best start with the South Siders, having allowed one run on eight hits over 6 2/3 innings against the Twins.

7 Sabathia is coming off of a month of June where he finished 2-1 with a 3.68 ERA in five starts after posting a 1.04 ERA over four starts in May. Things to know about this game Melky Cabrera, who has missed five straight games with a sprained right wrist, is expected to be back in the White Sox lineup Monday. A tight right hamstring has kept Carlos Beltran out of the outfield lately, though he has made two pinchhitting appearances since sustaining the injury on Tuesday. Beltran is hopeful that he will be able to serve as the Yankees' designated hitter on Monday. Sunday s recap: White Sox 4, Astros 1 By Colleen Kane / Chicago Tribune July 3rd, 2016 White Sox left-hander Jose Quintana gave up one run over seven innings to help the White Sox to a 4-1 victory against the Astros on Sunday afternoon at Minute Maid Park. Quintana gave up a solo homer to George Springer on his second pitch of the game for an early 1-0 Astros lead. But he allowed just one more hit and two walks over seven innings, leaving with a 2-1 lead. Quintana earned his first victory since May 8 against the Twins after starting the year 5-1. The Sox earned their fourth straight series victory. At the plate J.B. Shuck led off the third against Astros right-hander Collin McHugh with a walk, and Tim Anderson doubled before Adam Eaton s RBI groundout and Jose Abreu s RBI single. The Sox added on in the eighth inning, on RBI singles from Brett Lawrie and Dioner Navarro. On the mound After Jason Castro doubled and Springer walked to open the third, Quintana worked his way out of the jam on his way to retiring 15 straight. Warning Quintana s final out was a strikeout of Astros designated hitter Evan Gattis after being warned by homeplate umpire Ryan Blakney for throwing behind Gattis. It was an apparent response to Jose Abreu being hit by a pitch by Astros reliever Chris Devenski, which prompted a lengthy glare from Abreu. Quintana and the Astros benched were warned, and Astros manager A.J. Hinch was ejected for arguing. Halfway there The Sox reached the halfway point of the season Saturday with a record, four games better than where they were at the halfway point in They are averaging 4.2 runs per game, as compared with 3.4 in 2015 but the team ERA is 4.04, compared with 4.03 in 2015.

8 Jose Quintana gets first win since May 8; White Sox win 4th straight series By Colleen Kane / Chicago Tribune July 3rd, 2016 A wide smile spread across Jose Quintana's face, and he began his postgame comments with one word. "Wow," he said. Anyone familiar with Quintana's run-support plight should understand why the White Sox left-hander was so happy after a 4-1 victory over the Astros on Sunday afternoon at Minute Maid Park. Quintana gave up one run over seven innings, and the Sox tacked on runs late to ensure he earned his first victory since May 8 against the Twins. After starting the year 5-1, he improved to 6-8 as the Sox won their fourth straight series. "I had a good reaction because (they scored) more runs," Quintana said. "Sometimes I've been waiting for that. I try to do my job but I wait for support, and today the lineup made a good effort." Quintana gave up a solo homer to George Springer on his second pitch, but he allowed just one more hit and two walks. After Jason Castro doubled and Springer walked to open the third, Quintana worked his way out of the jam on his way to retiring 15 straight. "This was as locked in as he's been in a while," manager Robin Ventura said. "He has always been the same mentally. Even as difficult as it's been for him to get run support, he never wavers as far as his own confidence. He's one of the better pitchers in the league." Quintana's final out in the seventh was a strikeout of designated hitter Evan Gattis after plate umpire Ryan Blakney had warned him for throwing behind Gattis. Astros reliever Chris Devenski had hit Jose Abreu with a pitch in the top of the seventh, prompting a lengthy glare from Abreu. After the game, Abreu sported a welt just below a tattoo of his son on his left arm. "They hit my baby," he joked, adding that he wasn't sure if he was hit on purpose. Quintana and Ventura both said Quintana missed inside on the pitch to Gattis. Astros manager A.J. Hinch was ejected for arguing, and Quintana got behind 3-0 in the count before coming back for the strikeout. "I am very happy for him because he is such a fighter," Abreu said through the team interpreter. "He comes every day to give us the best that he has. In the last outings, we weren't able to support him and give him some runs. We did it today." The Sox scored two in the third off right-hander Collin McHugh on Adam Eaton's RBI groundout and Abreu's RBI single. For the second straight day, Ventura used a catcher at designated hitter. Alex Avila walked twice and led off the eighth with a single against Devenski to spark a two-run inning. Pinch runner Tyler Saladino stole second, and Brett Lawrie and Dioner Navarro hit RBI singles. The Sox have won nine of 13 and improved to two games over.500 for the first time since June 4. They head into a six-game homestand against the Yankees and Braves before the All-Star break 71/2 games behind the Indians in the American League Central. But they're also in a crowded wild-card race. "We're still in the hunt," Ventura said. "We started out great, then we took a dump and now we're back to playing better baseball.

9 "That second wild card does bring a different element to it. You have to play well. You can't get too caught up in what has already happened. It's where you're going." White Sox s Justin Morneau to head out on Charlotte rehab assignment Monday By Colleen Kane / Chicago Tribune July 3rd, 2016 Justin Morneau expects to be a little nervous when he steps into his first game at Triple-A Charlotte this week. The White Sox veteran hasn't played since October, spending the last seven months recovering from elbow surgery, but he'll make a major step toward a return when he begins his rehab assignment Monday. "It's exciting," Morneau said. "I'm sure I'll be nervous to be out there and let it fly in a game, but it will be interesting. It's just (nerves) from putting the elbow to a real test and a swing and miss. It's less controlled when a guy is actually trying to get me out, not trying to get me to hit it." Since signing a one-year, $1 million deal with the Sox on June 9, Morneau has advanced from hitting off a tee to batting practice, finally getting closer to his real swing in the last few BP sessions. He also has used the time to get to know his teammates, which he said has fueled his "competitive fire." "It gets you invested in it a little more," Morneau said. "It gives you the reason why you're going through the rehab, why you're doing the work, to see how hard everyone else is working, how bad they want to win. To be around that and want to get back to that and be a part of that, that's kind of the motivation." Morneau would like a minimum of 30 at-bats with Charlotte, but he said they will play it by ear. The Triple- A All-Star break coincides with the major-league break, so that could affect his return date by a couple of days. The Sox resume play after the break July 15 in Anaheim. The Sox could use an extra left-handed bat as soon as possible. They used catcher Alex Avila, a lefty hitter, at designated hitter Sunday against Astros right-hander Collin McHugh. "He's always been a valuable bat in the middle of the lineup," Sox manager Robin Ventura said of Morneau. "That's not going to change." On the bases: Adam Eaton stepped up Saturday to take responsibility for his two baserunning blunders in a victory over the Astros. He called it a "learning point" but said the Sox's baserunning overall has improved this season. Ventura said Sunday there have been some improvements. "We are a little bit different when you add (Tim Anderson) to the mix," Ventura said. "It's a little bit more athletic and you can steal some bases and do things.... Those mistakes Adam makes are aggressive, and those are ones we go over all the time. Besides that, I thought we've been all right." Quintana beats Astros, White Sox take fourth straight series By Daryl Van Schouwen / Chicago Sun-Times July 3rd, 2016 HOUSTON With four straight series wins, the latest against one of the hottest teams in baseball and two others against playoff contenders, the White Sox are declaring themselves back. And while their record isn t sending shivers down the collective spine of all those who also consider themselves American League playoff contenders, the Sox have righted themselves with nine wins in their last 13 games heading home to play the New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves this week before the All- Star break.

10 Just keep playing, said manager Robin Ventura said. We re still in the hunt. We started out great, then we took a dump and now we re back to playing better baseball. The Sox started before going to fall three games under.500. Taking three of four from the Red Sox in Boston and two of three at home from the Blue Jays and Twins preceded their latest victorious two-of-three series, capped by Sunday s 4-1 victory at Minute Maid Park that puts the Sox two games over.500 for the first time since June 4. Jose Quintana (6-8, 3.06), the unsupported one who was winless in nine straight starts including seven defeats, allowed a leadoff homer in the first to George Springer before retiring 21 of the next 24 batters including the last 15 in a row. Quintana also raised the ire of Astros manager A.J. Hinch for throwing a waist-high pitch behind Evan Gattis with two outs in the seventh. It was an apparent act of standing up for a teammate after Astros reliever Chris Devenski hit Jose Abreu on the left arm in the top of the inning with two outs and nobody on. Abreu, who stared at Devenski before taking first, has been hit eight times this season and undoubtedly appreciated the show of support. I tried to go inside, Quintana said. I missed in too much and I missed a spot. That s all. Plate umpire Ryan Blakney warned Quintana and both benches, which set off Hinch and led to an ejection. After the Astros manager had his say, Quintana came back from a 3-0 count to strike out Gattis to end his final inning. Nate Jones pitched a perfect eighth with two strikeouts and David Robertson collected his 23rd save and second in two days. Robertson struck out A.J. Reed, who had homered against him Saturday, with two runners on.adam Eaton scored J.B. Shuck with a grounder to shortstop and Abreu (2-four-3, double) singled in Tim Anderson in a two-run Sox third against Collin McHugh (5-6) and Brett Lawrie and Dioner Navarro singled in tack-on runs in the eighth, something the Sox were doing with regularity during that start. Anderson also singled, giving him 11 multi-hit games in his first 22 as a major leaguer, a Sox record. [We] picked [ourselves] up from where [we] were a month ago, Ventura said. Taking care of business on that day you re playing has been the mantra we ve had. You show up and take care of business that day. Quintana had seven losses and two no-decisions in his previous nine starts, in large part because he had received one run or less of support in those nine. He s such a fighter, Abreu said. We are a very good team. It s just a matter of believing in ourselves and we believe in ourselves right now. The results are there. We are winning games. We are winning series, and that s important. The Astros, who had won 26 of their previous 36 games, are a conquest worth noting. Wow, Quintana said when asked what it felt like to get decent run support. Now come back home, after winning this series, it s a good moment and try to keep going and keep winning series.

11 Frazier won t get coveted Sox-Cubs duel with Bryant in HR Derby By Daryl Van Schouwen / Chicago Sun-Times July 3rd, 2016 HOUSTON Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo of the Cubs don t want to participate in the Home Run Derby, which, Todd Frazier says, is unfortunate. I hope Bryant goes in there, Frazier said. That would be like the first [Cubs-Sox] battle before we get going. Frazier was alluding to what will be his first Sox-Cubs interleague set July The defending Home Run Derby champion is tied with Mark Trumbo and Bryant for the major league lead with 23 homers, and he hopes to be invited to participate again, although he hadn t heard anything as of Sunday morning. With a.204 average and Josh Donaldson, Manny Machado and Adrian Beltre leading a stacked group of American Leaguers at his position, Frazier would likely be a long shot to play in the Mid-summer classic July 12 in San Diego. But he definitely wants to participate in the Derby July 11. Some people don t like it but I enjoy that kind of stuff, he said. Bryant said the event last year was so long and tiring that I felt it the next day. Some players, Sox teammate Jose Abreu included, believe such events have an adverse affect on their swings. Not Frazier. It s like this, Frazier said. In batting practice, you get loose the first couple rounds, then you try to go to right field, then you try and go gap to gap. What does everyone usually do the last round? Try and hit home runs. So basically, if that s the case, their swing is already messed up, right? We all do it. It s just more swings like that [in a contest] than not. It s more of an excuse. Frazier said he knows what it takes to prepare to hit and knows his work ethic is there, and hitting in the derby won t hurt him. You ve been doing it since you were a little kid you swing for the fences, he said. It s the highlight of the All-Star break and it s fun for me. Morneu heading to Charlotte Designated hitter-first baseman Justin Morneau (left elbow) begins a minor-league rehab stint Monday at AAA Charlotte and while he could be in a White Sox uniform after the All-Star break, manager Robin Ventura cautioned that you are talking about a guy that is sticking his toe in the water trying to figure out exactly what he can do and how much he can push it. Morneau, who signed a one-year $1 million deal with incentives last month, has felt good airing it out in batting practice with the team in Houston. I m sure I ll be nervous to be out there and let it fly in a game, but it will be interesting, Morneau, 35, said. The Sox have a definite need for a left-handed bat with Morneau s history. His presence in the lineup becomes a bit different than the other guys, Ventura said. He s always been a valuable bat in the middle of the lineup. That s not going to change.

12 Shields rebound James Shields, who opposes CC Sabathia and the Yankees Monday afternoon at U.S. Cellular Field, has strung together two acceptable starts after that streak of four horrible outings. He seems to have found his footing again. You don t want to have those kind of outings, for sure, Shields said. But I believed in myself and what I m capable of doing. I ve been in similar ruts not that bad of one in my career, but you just kind of move forward. Shields held the Twins to a run over 6 2/3 innings in his last start. It was probably a little bit of everything, he said of getting shelled in his last start with the Padres and first three with the Sox. Getting behind in the count, not hitting my spots and not locating my fastball were big factors. Obviously luck has a lot to do with it also. You can throw batting practice behind the L screen and not give up some of the hits I was giving up. It s just the way the game goes sometimes. McKnight: Chicago White Sox hanging in there By Connor McKnight / Daily Herald July 3rd, 2016 Before Saturday, the Cleveland Indians simply would not lose. What was viewed in April as a division in which teams would tear chunks out of one another as a test of endurance into early October has shifted sharply. Cleveland has not run away with the division. Not quite. Not yet. But they're threatening. While the Indians turned the division on its head during June, the White Sox haven't lost sight of what's most important. They're working on themselves. From June 20-30, the White Sox took seven of 10. Three of four from the force that is the Boston Red Sox and their indomitable lineup. Two of three from the Toronto Blue Jays and all their power. Two of three from the hapless Minnesota Twins. It hasn't been effortless. It hasn't felt like the dominant run that got the team to to start the season. The White Sox are a team working to find itself and stabilize its core. They Sox have lost a defensive bulwark in center fielder Austin Jackson. His absence has forced more playing time to Avisail Garcia and J.B. Shuck. They've been without Melky Cabrera, their switch-hitting, middle-of-the-lineup constant of on-base percentage. Todd Frazier is searching for a swing that's somewhere between pop-ups and dingers. (At some point after this season is over, a writer much smarter than I will apply the most modern of mathematic methods to divine what, exactly, is going on with Frazier. I don't know what those results will say, but I do know that when we read this tome, we'll be astonished at the unlikelihood of its outcome.) After losing so much, the White Sox have turned to their depth to try to find suitable replacements -- even stopgaps would help -- but fate, it seems, won't let them stay around long. First, Kevan Smith was shelved with back problems mere hours before making his major-league debut. Jason Coats collided with Shuck in his first game.

13 Just this past week, Matt Davidson, after two years spent finding his way through the wilderness of Class AAA, hit the disabled list with a fractured foot. He was rounding first base on the first hit of his White Sox career. That's not to say any of those players were ready to become the on-base and slugging machine the White Sox's lineup could use, just to underline the point that baseball rarely lets plans play out. In fact, what has perhaps most affected the team is the number of short starts. In the 46 games since reaching 23-10, 18 starters didn't get into the sixth inning. That's 40 percent. It's a serious toll on the bullpen and, quite honestly, a massive credit to the White Sox that they've kept as many games as close as they have. As the White Sox wait for injuries to heal and bats to sync up, it's critical that starters shoulder the workload heading into the all-star break. There still is very much a playoff contender here; it just needs help staying in the pack on its way to the midsummer break. Quintana snaps losing skid as White Sox beat Astros 4-1 By Kristie Rieken / Associated Press July 3rd, 2016 HOUSTON -- Jose Quintana been pitching well over his last nine starts but had gone 0-7 in large part because the White Sox had managed just nine total runs in that span. So when his team tacked on a pair of runs in the eighth inning to pad a 1-run lead Quintana was more than a little excited. "(It was a) good reaction because... sometimes I wait for runs," Quintana said. "I (do) my job and I wait for support and today the lineup made a good effort." Quintana pitched seven solid innings to get his first win in almost two months, and Jose Abreu had two hits and an RBI to lead the White Sox over the Houston Astros 4-1 on Sunday. Quintana (6-8) allowed a season-low two hits and one run while fanning four for his first win since May 8. His losing streak was the longest in the majors. "Even as difficult as it can be for him to get run support he never wavers as far as his own confidence in what he can do," manager Robin Ventura said. "He's one of the better pitchers in the league. If he can get some run support his record obviously is a lot different. Just mentally he's as tough as anybody we've got." George Springer hit a leadoff homer and drew a walk with no outs in the third. Quintana sailed through the rest of his day, retiring his last 15 batters before he was replaced by Nate Jones to start the eighth inning. Jones pitched a perfect eighth to make it 18 in a row before David Robertson allowed a single and walk before striking out rookie A.J. Reed for his 23rd save. The White Sox trailed by 1 when Tim Anderson doubled with one out in the third inning and scored on a groundout by Adam Eaton to tie it up. Abreu followed with his single that put the White Sox on top 2-1. Brett Lawrie and Dioner Navarro added RBI singles in the eighth inning to push the lead to 4-1. Houston starter Collin McHugh (5-6) allowed five hits and two runs while walking four with nine strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings to remain winless since May 30.

14 Things got testy late in this one after Chris Devenski plunked Abreu in the left shoulder with two outs in the seventh inning. Abreu remained at the plate and stared at Devenski until an umpire escorted him to first base. With two outs in the bottom of the inning Quintana threw behind Evan Gattis twice to earn a warning from home plate umpire Ryan Blakney. Houston manager A.J. Hinch immediately dashed out of the dugout after the second one and got in Blakney's face repeatedly yelling: "he threw behind him," and pointing behind Gattis. He was soon ejected and things settled down after that. Quintana insisted that he didn't purposely throw behind Gattis. "I tried to go inside and I missed the spot," he said. "A couple of time today I missed in too much. That's all." The Astros disagreed. "To not eject him is a choice they made that I didn't appreciate," Hinch said of Quintana. "You're not going to take two shots at our guys and have it not be a spectacle for the entire industry to see. I respect the fact that they want to protect their players you can't do it twice." Springer gave Houston a 1-0 lead when he sent Quintana's second pitch into the bullpen in right-center field for his third career leadoff home run. The victory gave Chicago a 2-1 series win, snapping a streak of five straight series wins by the Astros. TRAINER'S ROOM White Sox: 1B Justin Morneau, who has been out all season after elbow surgery in December, is scheduled to begin a rehabilitation assignment at Triple-A Charlotte on Monday. Manager Robin Ventura doesn't yet have a timetable on how long he'll be there. UP NEXT White Sox: James Shields (3-9, 5.85) is scheduled to start when Chicago opens a series against the Yankees on Monday. Shields looks to get back on track after going 1-2 with an ERA in his last five starts. Astros: Lance McCullers (3-2, 3.91) will start on Monday in the opener against Seattle after missing his last start with a blister on his right index finger. McCullers has been great in his short career, going 6-2 with a 2.03 ERA and 103 strikeouts in 15 starts. Jose Quintana gets a win, White Sox take the series vs. Astros By Lauren Comitor / The Athletic July 3rd, 2016 Jose Quintana is back in the win column for the first time since May 8 thanks to his stellar performance and his offense s support in Sunday s 4-1 win over the Astros. The White Sox left Houston with the series victory, their season-high fourth in a row. Describe the game in three words: Some run support. Quintana dominant: After giving up a solo home run to George Springer, the first batter he faced in the first inning, Quintana found his groove. He allowed a double and a walk to begin the third, but after that, Quintana retired the final 15 batters he faced. Quintana threw 61 percent of his pitches for strikes and was particularly effective with his two-seamer, which he threw for strikes 76 percent of the time. Also, Quintana s two hits allowed were the fewest he s surrendered all season.

15 Taking out insurance: The White Sox scored two runs in the third inning, and entered the eighth up 2-1 with their bullpen set to take over in the bottom of the inning. After a few missed scoring opportunities in the middle innings, it looked like a repeat of previous Quintana starts when the offense couldn t come through for their pitcher. But Alex Avila led off with a single to left and was replaced by pinch-runner Tyler Saladino, who stole second base. Brett Lawrie made good use of that steal, hitting a run-scoring single and then moving to second on the throw home. Dioner Navarro followed with an RBI single of his own, securing the White Sox s 4-1 lead. Tit for tat: Things got testy in the seventh inning, when Jose Abreu was hit by a Chris Devenski pitch, after which Abreu stared down the pitcher. In the bottom half of the inning, Quintana responded for his team, throwing behind Gattis with two outs in the inning. Both benches were warned, and Astros manager A.J. Hinch was ejected from the game after arguing with home plate umpire Ryan Blakney. But Quintana got the last laugh, striking out Gattis to end the inning. Never easy: After Nate Jones came in to pitch a scoreless eighth inning, it was up to David Robertson to get the save. While he struck out two batters, a single and a walk allowed the Astros to threaten with runners on second and third with two outs. But Robertson struck out rookie A.J. Reed to end the potential rally and the game. On deck: James Shields (3-9, 5.85 ERA) vs. CC Sabathia (5-5, 3.17 ERA). Shields comes off his first White Sox win, by far his best outing since the trade. Shields looks to be trending in the right direction after allowing only four earned runs in his last two starts. He s also finding the strike zone more, throwing 66 percent of his pitches for strikes in his last start against Minnesota. Conversely, Sabathia comes off one of his worst outings, a 7-1 loss to the Rangers in which he gave up a season-high six earned runs.