But Sale's second-half debut featured a slight lack of fastball command against the wrong opponent.

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1 Headlines of July 20, 2015 Sale, Sox can't afford any miscues vs. Royals Scott Merkin, MLB.com White Sox struggle to support scuffling Sale Scott Merkin and Greg Garno, MLB.com Albers returns; White Sox designate Gillaspie Scott Merkin, MLB.com Abreu not trying to match last year's numbers Scott Merkin, MLB.com Rodon, White Sox welcome Cards to Chicago Greg Garno, MLB.com 2005 White Sox take another bow in celebration of World Series victory Paul Skrbina, Chicago Tribune White Sox fail to break through vs. Royals, may soon break up Fred Mitchell, Chicago Tribune Sunday's recap: Royals 4, White Sox 1 Fred Mitchell, Chicago Tribune Arrow points up for Tyler Saladino as Sox move on from Conor Gillaspie Fred Mitchell, Chicago Tribune White Sox designate Conor Gillaspie for assignment Fred Mitchell, Chicago Tribune Tyler Saladino wins third-base job; Conor Gillaspie designated for assignment Toni Ginnetti, Chicago Sun Times Rust or not, Chris Sale isn't at his best in White Sox' loss to Royals Toni Ginnetti, Chicago Sun Times White Sox designate Conor Gillaspie for assignment, lose to Royals Daryl Van Schouwen, Chicago Sun Times Homework has Tyler Saladino making the grade Doug Padilla, ESPN.com Ten years later, it's far different on the South Side Doug Padilla, ESPN.com Duffy leads Royals past Sale, White Sox Associated Press, ESPN.com Rapid Reaction: Royals 4, White Sox 1 Doug Padilla, ESPN.com Jose Abreu looking to roar into second half Doug Padilla, ESPN.com Conor Gillaspie designated for assignment by White Sox Doug Padilla, ESPN.com Chris Sale not at his best as White Sox fall to AL's best Vinnie Duber, CSN Now in everyday role, Tyler Saladino hits first big league homer Vinnie Duber, CSN White Sox designate Conor Gillaspie, return Matt Albers to 'pen Vinnie Duber, CSN Former White Sox organist Nancy Faust now entertaining Cougars fans Paul Johnson, Aurora Beacon-News White Sox activate RHP Albers from DL Associated Press, USA Today Emma: Legend Of 2005 White Sox Will Live Forever Chris Emma, CBS Chicago Sale, Sox can't afford any miscues vs. Royals Chicago ace matches career high with 11 hits allowed over 6 1/3 innings in loss By Scott Merkin / July 19th, 2015 CHICAGO -- The Royals currently stand as a better team than the White Sox. That fact had been established before Kansas City took three out of four this weekend at U.S. Cellular Field, culminating with Chicago's 4-1 loss before 32,175 Sunday afternoon. But the point was driven home with a win against Chris Sale, the White Sox ace and four-time All-Star. Even the best in baseball, such as Sale, are not infallible. And Sale has not been helped by a White Sox offense scoring three runs or fewer in eight of his nine home starts. But Sale's second-half debut featured a slight lack of fastball command against the wrong opponent. "Yeah, all over the place," said Sale, who fell to 7-9 with a 2.84 ERA in his career against the Royals. "This is not a good team to leave fastballs over the plate to, and also not a good team to let the ball travel over the fence. They take advantage of every opportunity you give them."

2 "Well, he's a strike-thrower with tremendous stuff and we're an aggressive team," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "We came up to the plate swinging the bats." On this rarest of days when Sale matched a career-worst 11 hits allowed, many of the other White Sox problems popped up again. Melky Cabrera was thrown out trying to go from second to third on Avisail Garcia's grounder to shortstop Alcides Escobar with nobody out and a one-run deficit in the second, and Jose Abreu and Cabrera struck out against Danny Duffy with runners on second and third after the first out in the sixth in a 2-0 game. Those at-bats did cover 17 pitches total, so the fight and effort remains there for the White Sox. But aside from Tyler Saladino's first career home run leading off the ninth, the results continue to be missing for this squad. "At the end of the day, if we don't win, that's all that matters," Saladino said. "The home run is just a moment." "We're playing as hard as you can, and that's all you can really ask," Sale said. "We got some bad luck along the way too. We're squaring some balls up and doing some things. Balls hitting off guys' gloves and going to the other guy.... Sometimes you have to shake the bad luck before you get on a roll." Was it bad luck or just exceptional defense by the Royals? The AL Central leaders do all the little things to be successful, which is in part why the White Sox sit 13 games back and may look to enhance their overall big-picture base instead of going all in this season at the July 31 non-waiver Trade Deadline. "I know everybody wants to talk about it, but we're going to play as hard as we can against St. Louis," White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. "We're going to play on Tuesday." White Sox struggle to support scuffling Sale By Scott Merkin and Greg Garno / MLB.com July 19th, 2015 CHICAGO -- Danny Duffy gave up one run over eight-plus innings and the Royals finished off three wins in four games this weekend against the White Sox with a 4-1 victory at U.S. Cellular Field on Sunday. This rough four-game stretch dropped Chicago to a season-worst 13 games behind Kansas City in the American League Central. Duffy fanned four, walked one and allowed more than one runner on base in just two innings. The loss was especially tough for the White Sox with Chris Sale, their ace and four-time All-Star, suffering the setback in his first second-half start. Sale lasted 6 1/3 innings, yielding 11 hits, including home runs to Lorenzo Cain and former White Sox Minor Leaguer Paulo Orlando. "To come in here and win three out of four was big for us," said Royals manager Ned Yost. "It's a good way to start off the second half." Eric Hosmer had three hits off of Sale, one of four Royals with multihit efforts. Melky Cabrera had two hits for the White Sox, but with the team trailing, 1-0, in the second, Cabrera was thrown out trying to go from second to third on Avisail Garcia's grounder to shortstop Alcides Escobar. "You have to tip your hat to them because they played better than us in this series," White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. "I think even yesterday we had a chance to win it and it didn't happen, but I like the way our guys battled. Today, they just played better than us." Chicago's only run came on Tyler Saladino's first career homer leading off the ninth. Duffy exited after allowing the home run, leaving Joe Blanton to pick up his first career save. Blanton was the only member of the Royals' bullpen not used in Saturday's 13-inning win. "I was relieved to see it go out. But for a split second, that's all it was," said Saladino, who got the baseball back, but was disappointed the 360-foot blast didn't come in a victory. "Put a run on the board and the other guys [are] coming up, get something going. It was nice to see it go out, though."

3 MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Connecting again: Cain continued his tear against the White Sox this weekend when he homered to left-center in the sixth inning. In four games, he finished the series 6-for-16 with two home runs, a double and six RBIs. It was Cain's 10th home run of the season and third-career shot against Sale -- the only pitcher off whom Cain has hit multiple home runs. Cain hasn't just been successful against the White Sox, though. He's hit safely in 13 of his last 14 games, posting a.472 batting average with 13 runs scored. "Cain has been the one guy that has been the most consistent that we've had all year long. He hasn't gone through any extended cold streaks," Yost said before the game. "I was thinking the other day after the All-Star Game, I was having a hard time trying to think of a more underrated player than Lorenzo Cain in the American League." Sound familiar?: The White Sox had runners on second and third with one out in the sixth inning, and Jose Abreu and Cabrera ready to face Duffy. But Abreu struck out swinging on the ninth pitch of his at-bat and Cabrera struck out looking on the eighth pitch of his at-bat. Great scoring opportunity, but no runs. Power hitters?: Despite sitting 26th in the Majors in home runs, the Royals hit two on the day, including a two-run shot from Orlando in the seventh inning. Orlando's homer off Sale was the Royals' fifth of the weekend, including two on Friday and Cain's blast on Saturday. "Cain's home run was big too, gave us the two-run lead, and then Paulo kind of was the ice cream on top of the cake there for us," Yost said. Good news, bad news: The good news for Sale is that he reached 900 career strikeouts with his six Sunday against the Royals. The bad news is that he was unable to last at least seven innings for just the third time since May 6. The Royals also produced the first double-digit hit effort against Sale this season. QUOTABLE "I tried to get out of the dugout as fast as I could. I knew my pitch count was getting up there. But quite honestly, I appreciate Ned and [pitching coach] Dave [Eiland] giving me the opportunity to go back out there, having the confidence in me to finish the job. I would have liked to, I would have loved to, but a win is a win." -- Duffy, on heading out to pitch the ninth inning "We just couldn't get anything going. And [Sale], probably not his best fastball command today. He still has good stuff but it just wasn't good enough today." -- Ventura, on Sunday's loss LEFT IS USUALLY RIGHT FOR SALE Alex Gordon stood as the only left-handed hitter with double-digit career hits against Sale entering Sunday, as the injured Royals left fielder has 14. But with Hosmer's three hits, he joined Gordon in that exclusive group with 10 all-time against Sale. GOING DEEP Sale has given up four home runs over his last three starts, compared to four over his previous eight. REPLAY REVIEW For the second time this weekend, Yost successfully challenged a call at first base involving White Sox third baseman Saladino. With runners on first and second, Duffy's throw to first on a bunt went high, and first-base umpire Jordan Baker originally ruled Saladino safe. But the call was overturned as second baseman Omar Infante pulled it down in time after a terrific leap. WHAT'S NEXT

4 Royals: The Royals return to Interleague play when they host the Pirates on Monday at 7:10 p.m. CT. Yordano Ventura gets the nod for his second start since coming off the disabled list. In his last outing, Ventura went five innings while allowing three runs for his fourth win of the season. White Sox: Carlos Rodon makes his first second-half start when the White Sox open a two-game series against the Cardinals Tuesday night at U.S. Cellular Field at 7:10 p.m. CT. Rodon is 1-2 with a 5.61 ERA over his last five starts. Albers returns; White Sox designate Gillaspie Saladino's strong play left corner infielder as odd man out in Chicago By Scott Merkin / July 19th, 2015 CHICAGO -- White Sox right-handed reliever Matt Albers returned from his injury rehab assignment with Double-A Birmingham and was reinstated from the disabled list prior to Sunday's series finale against the Royals. Infielder Conor Gillaspie was designated for assignment to make room for Albers, leaving Chicago's 40-man roster at 38. Both moves certainly weren't unexpected. The White Sox already were one man short in the bullpen, forcing lefty Dan Jennings to throw a career-high 3 2/3 innings and 49 pitches in a 13-inning loss on Saturday. They also played a doubleheader against the Royals on Friday. Gillaspie, who turned 28 on Saturday, had just five at-bats since July 6 after batting.282 with 57 RBIs in 2014, although he hit.228 in that season's second half. Rookie Tyler Saladino basically took over the starting job at third base with his strong defensive play and a solid plate approach over his past six games, and switch-hitting Emilio Bonifacio provides a bit more versatility off the bench with his ability to steal a base and play the outfield. "It's always a tough decision, especially when you've got a kid like that where you know what he's capable of," White Sox manager Robin Ventura said of Gillaspie. "You know he's a much better hitter than what those numbers indicate. "That's what makes it tough. He got off to the slow start. With [Saladino] coming in here and showing what he can do, you need another arm, and that becomes the move. It doesn't make it any easier." Albers, 32, has been on the disabled list since April 26 (retroactive to April 20) with a broken right little finger sustained during an on-field fracas with the Royals on April 23, which became an injury that required surgery. He made eight appearances between Birmingham and Triple-A Charlotte, covering 11 2/3 innings. Without Albers and with just six relievers on Saturday, Ventura was hesitant to bring in closer David Robertson for just one inning as his last reliever. They have been careful with rookie Carlos Rodon, who has been working toward a start Tuesday, but he would have been the next pitcher in line following Robertson. A move such as this one was expected prior to the upcoming two-game home series against the Cardinals. Plantar fasciitis hampered Gillaspie in both feet at the start of Spring Training, and the left-handed hitter batted just.237 with 11 doubles, one triple, three homers and 15 RBIs over 58 games in his third season with the White Sox. Gillaspie partially fell victim to the team's overall weakness on offense, but also to the energy infused by Saladino's addition. "We've been impressed. He's been able to make some adjustments," Ventura said of Saladino. "On the field, you look at him and he fits in anywhere. There's not really a position that you could put him at that he wouldn't look very comfortable at. That's just in his DNA of being a baseball player. "On that part, you like what you see. Every time you look at him, he's just dirty -- in a good way of just being a baseball player. He's always in the middle of something." Abreu not trying to match last year's numbers

5 Reigning AL Rookie of the Year doesn't 'feel pressure' based on debut season By Scott Merkin / July 19th, 2015 CHICAGO -- Not only was Jose Abreu's first season in the Majors worthy of American League Rookie of the Year Award honors, but it also pushed the White Sox first baseman into 2014 AL Most Valuable Player Award consideration. Abreu will be hard-pressed to match his 36 homers and 107 RBIs as a rookie. In fact, the affable slugger had 29 homers and 73 RBIs over his first 82 games at the All-Star break. But Abreu isn't pressing to try to live up to those first-year standards. "I don't feel pressure for that. I see them as reference to measure my performance. It's not something that I said, 'Oh, I have to reach that number.' No," said Abreu through interpreter and White Sox Spanish language broadcaster Billy Russo. "Probably sometimes, I haven't done the adjustment that I have to do to get better results. "That happens during a long season. Sometimes you are struggling. Sometimes you are good. The things you have to try to find is the rhythm and the consistency in this whole season, and probably the results this year aren't as good as last year. But it's because of me. It's not the pitchers or whatever. It's because of me." A right index finger injury hampered Abreu for part of the season's first half and affected what he was trying to do consistently at the plate. That malady also might have cut into Abreu's power output, as he had 14 homers entering Sunday. But Abreu smiled and said everything felt good after the All-Star break. "I'm fine right now," Abreu said. "I don't have anything to let you know. Physically, I feel good." "Pitchers are always going to make adjustments. He needs to make adjustments," White Sox manager Robin Ventura said of Abreu. "He's kind of getting over that finger issue that he had for a while. His swing looks good. It's just being able to get his rhythm back and the timing of it. He probably made minor adjustments that weren't very good because of his finger, and now he's on his way to getting it back." Opposing hurlers also have identified Abreu as the one hitter in the White Sox lineup who they can't allow to beat them. But a better-prepared and fresher Abreu is ready for the finishing kick of his second season. "In the first half, I just tried to be a little more conservative with my energy," Abreu said. "For this second half, I'm just trying to throw out my energy on the field every day." Rodon, White Sox welcome Cards to Chicago By Greg Garno / MLB.com July 19th, 2015 After dropping two games to the White Sox in June, the Cardinals look for redemption when they travel to Chicago for two games beginning on Tuesday. Originally Carlos Martinez was scheduled to make the start, but he was pressed into action on Sunday in the Cardinals' 3-1, 18-inning loss to the Mets. He threw 72 pitches over four innings, allowing two runs, one earned, and getting the loss. In his place, it is expected that Michael Wacha will move up one day to make the start, the first of his career vs. the White Sox. Chicago's Carlos Rodon also gets his first start against his opponent as he looks to limit his walks. In his last two outings, Rodon has walked 10 batters, bringing his strikeout-to-walk ratio to That mark ranks him in the bottom 10 of starters with more than 70 innings pitched. Things to know about this game Wacha's ERA this season is at 3.52 in 10 night starts as opposed to 2.08 in seven day starts.

6 Rodon has struggled in the first inning this season, allowing eight runs in 11 games. He surrendered 15 hits, including four for extra bases, but he has been able to settle down after that. Rodon has allowed a combined nine runs in the following three innings. The first inning has not only been problematic for Rodon, but also for the White Sox as a whole. This season, they have been outscored, 73-27, in the first frame White Sox take another bow in celebration of World Series victory Paul Skrbina, Chicago Tribune July 20, 2015 About the only thing missing was Steve Perry. Not 12 hours after former White Sox outfielder Aaron Rowand and former third baseman-turned-corn farmer Joe Crede filled in vocally for the Journey lead singer on stage Friday night at U.S. Cellular Field, 24 members of the 2005 World Series champions continued the team's 10-year reunion Saturday. A season of "Don't Stop Believin,'" so thanks to a hotel lounge singer in Baltimore that year, turned into a weekend of "Don't Stop Rememberin'" as players and coaches gathered throughout the morning and afternoon not a memory left unturned, not a picture untaken, not a joke untold. Upon laying eyes on Pablo Ozuna's shoulder-length dreadlocks during a photo shoot outside the stadium Saturday morning, Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf scoffed in jest. "That guy has to get a barber or something," he said. While addressing season ticket holders from atop the Sox dugout before Saturday's game against the Royals, manager Ozzie Guillen said he noticed a shirt during the team's victory parade that read: "Ozzie for President." "I turned to my wife and said, 'That's a White Sox fan,'" Guillen said. "'Ozzie for President.' How stupid can you be? I love it." Rowand then picked a shirt out from the crowd as his favorite, its wearer standing proud. "Ozzie is my homeboy," it read. Rowand also shared during the session a memory from two years before the Sox won, when he said he and some teammates were watching the Cubs play the Marlins in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series. "Once Moises Alou didn't catch that ball we said, 'Thank God,'' Rowand said. Blum, he of the Game 3 14th-inning home run, also offered a Cubs poke when asked how he feels when he looks at his ring from "I'm extremely proud," he began, "that there's none of that funky blue and red on it." Just five players from that team Mark Buehrle (Blue Jays), A.J. Pierzynski (Braves), Juan Uribe (Braves), Neal Cotts (Brewers) and Brandon McCarthy (Dodgers) are still on big-league rosters. Konerko, of Game 2 grand slam note, acknowledged them at the pregame ceremony Saturday, adding "they wish they could be here." Two more Tadahito Iguchi and Freddy Garcia also are playing professionally. Among those who didn't play in the postseason in 2005 was Hall of Famer Frank Thomas, who in his 16th and final season with the team felt the bitter sweetness of winning his one and only World Series from the bench.

7 "Extremely frustrating," Thomas said of sitting because of injury. "But I had laid it on the line with these guys for so many years, and fought that fight with this organization for 16 years to get in that position. I drove the bus for so long, it was time for me to be the passenger. It was well worth the ride. These guys got me the one thing I needed, and that was the ring." Thomas, who played with and for Guillen, was cited by many as the captain of the "ship," mostly because he was able to forge positive relationships with them at least most of them. "Well, he was money," Orlando Hernandez said. "I'm still friends with a lot of those guys," Guillen said. "That's hard to do be a manager and be friends with the players. I have a couple of guys that maybe hate me. I hate them back. That's easy. But 95 percent of the guys were very pleased with the way we treated them." Sox fans were treated Saturday to a parade of champions, to the tune of public-address announcer Gene Honda's familiar, booming voice. One by one, players and coaches were introduced before taking seats to the left and right of the pitcher's mound. Seven of them took turns thanking the crowd, including Konerko, Scott Podsednik, Jermaine Dye and Guillen, before disappearing into the home dugout. At least one player wearing a White Sox uniform this season can fully appreciate 2005 starting pitcher Jeff Samardzija, who grew up a fan of the team in Valparaiso, Ind. Samardzija was playing football and baseball for Notre Dame in 2005, but remembered emulating Thomas' batting stance as a kid. "As a Sox fan, it was great to see and it was a long time coming," Samardzija said. "All you heard about before that was it has been (88) years or whatever for the Sox and 90-some years for the Cubs." Now it has been almost 10 years, the number of years ago on July 18 that the Sox led the American League Central by 13 games and owned a record, best in the big leagues. That team, of course, steamrolled through the postseason with an 11-1 record and won the city's first World Series since This year the Sox are in last place in their division after Saturday's 7-6 loss to the Royals in 13 innings, 12 games behind the Royals with a record. "We weren't the '27 Yankees, but we probably were better than a lot of other teams," Reinsdorf said. "But what recognition do you need other than a trophy?" And some rings. White Sox fail to break through vs. Royals, may soon break up Fred Mitchell, Chicago Tribune July 19, 2015 If White Sox management was waiting to see if the sub-.500 team just might have a post-all-star break surge in it to warrant keeping the gang together, wait no longer. Despite a hot streak earlier this month, the Sox appear to be who we thought they were. Poor baserunning, poor situational hitting, poor defense... can't win with it. Even the estimable Chris Sale had a lapse in performance Sunday as the Royals prevailed 4-1 to take three out of four in the series at U.S. Cellular Field. The angular All-Star was touched for four runs on 11 hits over 61/3 innings. That didn't much matter, though, as the Sox's pedestrian offense managed just a solo home run from third baseman Tyler Saladino, who hit the first of his career in the ninth inning.

8 Sox manager Robin Ventura is tired of talking about whether his team should buy or sell before the July 31 trade deadline. "We're going to play on Tuesday," Ventura said. "I know everybody wants to talk about it, but we're going to play as hard as we can against St. Louis." Royals starter Danny Duffy (4-4) was on cruise control through a career-high eight innings. Duffy is 3-1 with a 3.09 ERA lifetime against the Sox. The White Sox are when they score three runs or fewer this season, and Sunday was another one of those days. They have been outscored in the first inning, including Sunday when the Royals took a 1-0 lead on an RBI single by Eric Hosmer. The Royals came out swinging against Sale (8-5), whose 11 hits allowed matched his career high. Sale (8-5) gave up a pair of home runs. He has allowed four homers over his last three starts, compared with four over his previous eight outings. "This is not a good team to leave fastballs over the plate to," Sale said. "They take advantage of every opportunity you give them and that's what happens." Royals manager Ned Yost said of Sale: "He's a strike thrower with tremendous stuff and we're an aggressive team. We came up to the plate swinging the bats, and to get the first run in the first inning was big to give Danny a little breathing room." This wasn't exactly the way Sox optimists hoped to see their team open the second half. "We battled the first few games," Ventura said. "This one, Duffy was tough. I thought they played great defense. Even when we hit it hard, their shortstop (Alcides Escobar) played a heck of a game. The second baseman (Omar Infante) too. "We had some opportunities we didn't take advantage of.... Anything we hit hard, they have a really good defense and they showed it off today." Pitching and defense, the main staples of a consistent winner, were on display by the defending American League champions throughout the series. "I'm finally starting to learn that when you have the best defense in the league behind you, all you've got to do is execute," Duffy said. Sunday's recap: Royals 4, White Sox 1 Fred Mitchell, Chicago Tribune July 19, 2015 The White Sox's futility against American League Central opponents continued Sunday when the Royals rapped out 13 hits behind Danny Duffy and went for a 4-1 victory at U.S. Cellular Field. The Royals took three out of four in the series and have beaten the Sox seven out of 10 times this season. On the mound Chris Sale looked rusty after an seven-day layoff. He allowed four runs on 11 hits. He is 7-9 in his career against the Royals. Duffy posted his fifth quality start of the season. At the plate Tyler Saladino hit his first career home run in the ninth and extended his hitting streak to six games. Lorenzo Cain hit his third career homer off Sale, the most he has hit off any pitcher. In the field

9 Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar made a backhanded stab of a sharp one-hopper off the bat of Avisail Garcia, flipped it to second baseman Omar Infante, who threw to first for the double play to end the fourth inning. Turning point With runners on second and third and one out in the sixth, the Sox sent Jose Abreu and Melky Cabrera to the plate. Duffy struck out Abreu swinging and Cabrera on a called third strike to end the threat. The number 49-0 The Royals' record when leading after eight innings this season. Up next Vs. Cardinals, 7:10 p.m., Tuesday, WPWR-50. Arrow points up for Tyler Saladino as Sox move on from Conor Gillaspie Fred Mitchell, Chicago Tribune July 19, 2015 Tyler Saladino would have preferred that his first home run had come in a White Sox victory. "The home run's nice, especially the first one, but at the end of the day, if we don't win, that's all that matters," Saladino said of his ninth-inning blast in Sunday's 4-1 loss to the Royals. Saladin said that he was given his home run ball and that it was "somewhere around here." He went through his regular postgame routine to strengthen his shoulder after receiving congratulations from his teammates. Before Sunday's game, the Sox designated third baseman Conor Gillaspie for assignment, while reinstating right-handed pitcher Matt Albers from the disabled list. "We needed an arm right now, and the way it shakes out it's a tough decision," manager Robin Ventura said. Gillaspie, 28, hit.237 with 11 doubles, one triple, three home runs and 15 RBIs over 58 games this season. Saladino's solid play made Gillaspie expendable. Saladino was promoted on July 10 and is batting.308 over his first seven major-league games. Ventura said Saladino, who turns 26 on Monday, will get most of the starts at third base, and Saladino is grateful for the opportunity. "It's awesome," Saladino said. "You don't know what to expect coming up here. Preparation is everything for me, just working hard, treating every day like it's as important as any other. That's just all I try to do, so being able to have some results out of all that, it's gratifying." What a relief: Albers appeared in relief Sunday and gave up no runs on two hits in 22/3 innings. He had been on the disabled list since April 26 with a broken right pinkie finger suffered in a brawl during the April 23 game against the Royals. Albers has made five relief appearances with the Sox this season after being signed as a free agent on Feb. 13. Extra innings: Melky Cabrera has hit safely in 13 of his last 15 games.... Carlos Sanchez is hitting.375 against the Royals this year.... The Royals are when they score first this season. White Sox designate Conor Gillaspie for assignment Fred Mitchell, Chicago Tribune July 19, 2015

10 The White Sox have designated third baseman Conor Gillaspie for assignment, while reinstating right-handed pitcher Matt Albers from the disabled list on Sunday. "We needed an arm right now, and the way it shakes out -- it's a tough decision, a tough call," manager Robin Ventura said. Gillaspie, 28, hit.237 with 11 doubles, one triple, three home runs and 15 RBI over 58 games this season. Albers had been on the DL since April 26 (retroactive to April 20) with a broken right little finger sustained in a brawl during the April 23rd game against the Royals. Albers (0-0, 1.59 ) has made four relief appearances with the Sox this season after being signed as a free agent on Feb. 13. Tyler Saladino wins third-base job; Conor Gillaspie designated for assignment Toni Ginnetti, Chicago Sun Times July 19, 2015 It took a week for Tyler Saladino to become the Sox starting third baseman. He displaced Conor Gillaspie, who was designated for assignment Sunday. The rookie has been versatile in the field and has had success hitting. He s done everything and made adjustments at the plate, manager Robin Ventura said of Saladino, 26, who was recalled from Class AAA Charlotte on July 10. You look at him on the field, and there isn t a position he wouldn t be comfortable at. His DNA is a baseball player. He s dirt in a good way. Saladino hit his first career home run in the ninth inning Sunday during the Sox 4-1 loss to the Kansas City Royals. The homer is nice, but we didn t win, and that s what matters, he said. But of his new role, Saladino said, It s awesome. You don t know what to expect coming up here. Preparation is important for me. You still have to do the same things every day, the same routine, the same preparation. To have some results from that is gratifying. Gillaspie had struggled at the plate (.237, three home runs, 15 RBI) after hitting.282 last season. He also had a teamhigh 12 errors. [Gillaspie] got off to a slow start, and that makes it tough, Ventura said. You know he s capable of more. The Sox also activated pitcher Matt Albers from the disabled list. The right-hander had been sidelined since April 26 with a broken right little finger. It was a tough decision [to designate Gillaspie], but you need an arm right now, Ventura said. Ventura said the team chose to keep little-used infielderemilio Bonifacio because he s used as a pinch hitter and a pinch runner. The Sox also have infielder -Gordon Beckham in a utility role. Bad strike Jose Abreu was noticeably -agitated on the field Saturday when lightning was flashing. His fears stem from memories of a friend in Cuba who was wearing a gold chain similar to the one Abreu wears and was struck and killed by lightning. If it was going to continue, I was going to run into the Kansas City dugout, he said. My grandmother always said if it s lightning and thunder outside, you stay inside. Cuban connection

11 As progress continues toward normalizing diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States, Abreu believes it will benefit not just baseball players, but Cuban people in general. It s very important for everyone, especially us in Cuba because it gives the best chance for baseball players to reach their dreams of playing in the major leagues. But not just baseball players, but everyone, he said through an interpreter. Rust or not, Chris Sale isn't at his best in White Sox' loss to Royals Toni Ginnetti, Chicago Sun Times July 19, 2015 Kansas City Royals hitting coach Dale Sveum spent Sunday morning staring at videotape of White Sox ace Chris Sale. You try to find anything that might tip a pitch, Sveum said. It might help if you knew what was coming, but he has such command of all four of his pitches. Sveum must have found what he was searching for. The Royals got to Sale, who hadn t pitched since July 11, for four runs and 11 hits in 6 innings on their way to a 4-1 victory. The 11 hits were the most Sale has allowed this season, and he fell to 7-9 in his career against the Royals. It s not a good team to leave fastballs in the middle to, Sale said of the Royals, who took three of the four games in the series. It s frustrating all the way around because you re playing as hard as you can, and then you throw in some bad luck with balls bouncing off one guy s glove and going to another guy. They have pitching and defense and do the little things, and that s what gets you on rolls. Those are the sorts of things the Sox haven t done well consistently, which is why they might be sellers at the non-waiver trade deadline July 31. Manager Robin Ventura again was cryptic in deflecting questions about what the Sox are going to do at the deadline. We are going to play on Tuesday [after a day off Monday], Ventura said. I know everyone wants to talk about it, but we re going to play as hard as we can against St. Louis. Ventura lauded Royals starter Danny Duffy (4-4), who worked eight-plus innings and limited the Sox to six hits, including a home run by rookie Tyler Saladino leading off the ninth. He praised the Royals sparkling defense, which featured dazzling plays by shortstop Alcides Escobar and second baseman Omar Infante. He praised his own players, too, for battling to stay in the game. But he did his best to mask his frustration with mental lapses, such as one in which Melky Cabrera led off the second with a double, only to be thrown out attempting to go to third on a grounder to Escobar on the next play. Sale yielded a run in the first on three singles, then allowed homers to Lorenzo Cain in the sixth and Paulo Orlando in the seventh. But he insisted the extended layoff didn t affect him. If anything, it gives you a little extra time to get ready and prepare, Sale said. Ventura, though, said there might have been a little rust. It was probably not his best fastball command today, he said. It s probably a combination of [the Royals hitting and the layoff]. You have to tip your hat to them because they played better than us in this series, but we had a chance to win [in a 13- inning loss Saturday], and it didn t happen.

12 White Sox designate Conor Gillaspie for assignment, lose to Royals Daryl Van Schouwen, Chicago Sun Times July 19, 2015 The White Sox designated third baseman Conor Gillaspie for assignment Sunday and reinstated right-hander Matt Albers from the disabled list before their 4-1 loss to the Kansas City Royals Sunday. Albers was on an injury rehab assignment at AA Birmingham. The 32-year-old reliever went on the DL April 26 after breaking the little finger on his right hand in the Sox bench-clearing brawl with the Royals three days earlier at U.S. Cellular Field. Albers pitched 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief of All-Star Chris Sale against the Royals Sunday. Gillaspie, who made 12 errors and was batting.237 with three homers and 15 RBI over 58 games, has been on the bench since 25-year-old rookie Tyler Saladino was called up from AAA Charlotte on Friday. Saladino, who homered in the ninth inning Sunday for the Sox first run, raised his average to.308. Saladino has started every game since being called up, six at third base and one at shortstop. Even though he has spent most of his minor league career at shortstop and played only 14 games at third since 2010 (including two games at third this season), Saladino s defense has been very good at the corner, where the Sox have used Gordon Beckham (good defensively,.195 batting average) and Gillaspie. Sale, pitching on a seven day rest over the All-Star break, gave up four runs on 11 hits over 6 1/3 innings. He struck out six, walked one and allowed homers to Lorenzo Cain and Paulo Orlando. It marked only the second time since May 23 Sale hasn t recorded 10 or more strikeouts. The AL Central leading Royals (55-35) took three of four games from the Sox (42-48), who were held to three or fewer runs for the 51st time this season. Left-hander Danny Duffy (4-4) gave up one run on six hits in 8-plus innings as Kansas City improved to 7-3 against the Sox this season. Homework has Tyler Saladino making the grade Doug Padilla, ESPN.com July 20, 2015 CHICAGO -- During a season on the South Side of Chicago where there has not been much to celebrate outside of Chris Sale, some new blood has arrived to provide a breath of fresh air. Tyler Saladino has taken hold of a surprise opportunity afforded by the Chicago White Sox and has clutched it tight with an all-around game that hasn t been seen much from anybody on his club all year. Known for adept fielding and a strong throwing arm, not to mention an ability to play both the infield and outfield, Saladino is also showing some flare with the bat after a week in the major leagues. He went hitless in his major league debut on July 10 against the Cubs at Wrigley Field, and since then he has delivered a base hit in six consecutive games. His hit Sunday was his first major league home run, a shot to deep left that prevented Royals starter Danny Duffy from throwing a shutout in a 4-1 Kansas City victory. It also prevented him from finishing off a complete game since he was removed after the long ball. It's always special when a guy hits his first home run or first hit, manager Robin Ventura said. He just continues to play. He's going to check that off the list, but he's just playing to win games. He's not into the meaning of all that. He thinks it's cool and everything but he's trying as hard as he can to help us win games. He's just a good player. To prove Ventura s point, Saladino not only refused to celebrate the home run postgame, he didn t even know where the ball was, although he knew the team tracked it down in the left-field stands. The home run s nice, especially the first one, but at the end of the day, if we don t win, that s all that matters, Saladino said Sunday. The home run is just a moment. The win, at the end of the day, we didn t get it, so come back Tuesday.

13 On Tuesday the White Sox face the St. Louis Cardinals. Saladino will be starting at third base again, trying to extend his hitting streak to seven games. I ve still got to do the same thing, same routine every day, Saladino said. That s why I was late getting here [for a postgame interview], taking care of all the shoulder stuff that I ve got to do after the game. So just the same preparation, same homework every day trying to get ready, play some good baseball. Saladino has become a quick study. When he arrived on July 10 it was to give the White Sox lineup flexibility as they played in a National League ballpark. The White Sox aren t built well for National League baseball, losing either Adam LaRoche or Jose Abreu for each of those games. Saladino not only helped the cause in the series against the Cubs, he continued to deliver in the series against the Royals, even if the rest of the team struggled. Not only did Saladino quickly convince the White Sox that he was worth keeping, they decided that Conor Gillaspie would be designated for assignment to open him a permanent roster spot. It also gave the White Sox something of a rare occurrence in recent years: An actual homegrown drafted position player they can utilize on the major league roster. The San Diego-area native was a seventh-round draft pick by the White Sox in 2010 out of Oral Roberts University. There were some definite speed bumps along the way. He blew out his elbow last season at Triple-A Charlotte while making a throw from the outfield and needed Tommy John surgery. In a sign of his determination, Saladino not only was ready to go in spring training seven months later, he made it to the major leagues three days before the one-year anniversary of his surgery. His first home run Sunday, came a day before his 26th birthday. It s all starting to come together for him in a hurry. He even has a baseball-centric nickname now, with Ventura referring to him as Sally. It s awesome, Saladino said about taking advantage of his opportunity. You don t know what to expect coming up here. Preparation is everything for me, just working hard, treating every day like it s as important as any other. That s just all I try to do, so being able to have some results out of all that, it s gratifying. But I m still trying to treat each day as important as the other and be ready for Tuesday. Ten years later, it's far different on the South Side Doug Padilla, ESPN.com July 19, 2015 CHICAGO -- It was supposed to be a weekend of celebration for the Chicago White Sox organization, but the takeaway from four games against the Kansas City Royals was that the club is a long way away from its championship run a decade ago. Heroes of yesteryear such as Paul Konerko, Jermaine Dye, Aaron Rowand and Joe Crede invaded U.S. Cellular Field over the weekend, and if they dared look at the action on the field, they had to be wondering what happened to their grand old stage. The White Sox lost three of four to the Kansas City Royals when they really needed the exact opposite results to convince the front office that this roster is worth keeping intact. With just inside of two weeks remaining before the non-waiver trade deadline, the White Sox look ready to set up the lemonade stand: Players cents a glass. On Friday, general manager Rick Hahn said the team had not determined whether they d be buyers or sellers with the deadline approaching. But then the Royals reeled off three victories in three days, leaving the White Sox 13 games back in the American League Central.

14 This is the only championship they re giving out this year, is the 2015 championship, Hahn said Friday. However, it s part of the responsibility of this position to be objective and look at the long-term benefit of the club and do what makes the most sense objectively given the situation that we ve played ourselves in. If the greatest thing the 2015 club can do is to make the 2017 or 2018 or 2019 club a better team, then that has to be considered a decent payoff for a team that will go into Monday s off day with a record. Manager Robin Ventura has been peppered with questions all month about how his team will handle a potential sell-off at the end of July. After losing the series to the Royals, he was asked again. We're going to play on Tuesday, Ventura said. I know everybody wants to talk about it, but we're going to play as hard as we can against St. Louis. It wasn t as if the White Sox did not play hard against the Royals. Did they make mistakes? Sure. Did they run into embarrassing outs? Absolutely. But were they just beaten by a much better team this weekend? Yes, they were. You come out and you re playing hard; we re grinding it out, said Chris Sale, who was not at his best while allowing four runs on 11 hits over 6 1/3 innings. We re playing as hard as you can and that s all you can really ask. We got some bad luck along the way too. We re squaring some balls up and doing some things. Balls hitting off guys gloves and going to the other guy. It s just sometimes you have to shake the bad luck before you get on a roll. In all likelihood, Jeff Samardzija will be moved. The best-case scenario for the White Sox is that clubs who are looking for starting pitching, primarily in the National League where Samardzija has been a good fit, start upping the ante by bidding against each other. But Samardzija doesn t figure to be the only regular the White Sox can use to make deals. Jose Quintana, Alexei Ramirez, Adam LaRoche, Zach Duke and Adam Eaton all figure to find themselves mentioned in rumors over the next 12 days. While saying that the White Sox would rather be buyers this season, Hahn saw that window close quickly this weekend. Gone is the good feeling built by winning nine of 12 games before the All-Star break. To each his own with his finances, but often the idea of taking out a loan at a higher interest rate to pay off a loan on a lower interest rate would keep you in debt longer. We do have to remain somewhat objective and try to do what is best for the organization in the longer term, not -- I don t want to say throw good money after bad -- but not continue to invest in something that might not make the most sense for the long-term health of the franchise, Hahn said. A rare bright side Sunday finally came in the ninth inning when Tyler Saladino hit a home run, the first of his career. With just seven games of major league experience, the weight of a disappointing season doesn t appear to be on Saladino s shoulders yet. More fresh-faced youngsters could be on the way. By trading some established players for prospects over the next week and a half, the White Sox are going to take their lumps the rest of the way in But it seems like that will happen whether they make deals or not. By making some trades, they can at least buy a little optimism for the future. When members of the 2005 team talked about their championship run this weekend, they spoke about unity, confidence and a will to win. We hit home runs, but we could drive in a tough run with two outs, and the defense was clutch, Konerko said about the organization s only championship in nearly 100 years. There s a difference in making a great play in an 8-2 game, and when you have to turn a double play or the tying run scores. That never got away from us.

15 We would make those plays, and it felt like 1-0 and 2-1 games were still in our comfort zone. When we blew somebody out it was easy, and when we got blown out, it didn t matter. When we played close games, we didn t feel anxiety, we felt better than the other side. None of those feelings seem to exist with the current White Sox team. What a difference 10 years can make. Duffy leads Royals past Sale, White Sox 4-1 Associated Press, ESPN.com CHICAGO -- There is no big secret to Danny Duffy's July success. No mechanical adjustments. Nothing like that at all. The Kansas City Royals play great defense, and Duffy is putting his fielders to work. Duffy took a shutout into the ninth inning in the longest outing of his career, and surging Kansas City beat Chris Sale and the Chicago White Sox 4-1 on Sunday. "We needed him to stand up today big time, and he did," Royals manager Ned Yost said. Duffy (4-4) was replaced by Joe Blanton after Tyler Saladino led off the ninth with his first career homer. The left-hander allowed six hits, struck out four and walked one while improving to 2-0 with a 1.33 ERA in three starts this month. "I'm finally starting to learn that when you have the best defense in the league behind you, all you've got to do is execute," Duffy said. Lorenzo Cain and Paulo Orlando homered as Kansas City (55-35) moved a season-high 20 games above.500. Blanton got three outs for his first career save in his 278th major league game. Helped by their stellar defense -- shortstop Alcides Escobar, second baseman Omar Infante and first baseman Eric Hosmer each made a couple of solid plays in the series finale -- the AL Central leaders took three of four from the White Sox and have won 11 of 14 overall. "I was sitting there at the end of the game trying to decide which was more impressive, Danny's outing or our defense today," Yost said. "It's a tough call." Chicago (42-48) lost for the fourth time in five games, making it more likely that general manager Rick Hahn will look to sell ahead of the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline. The White Sox are last in the Central, with major league-leading St. Louis coming to town for a two-game set beginning on Tuesday night. "We're going to play on Tuesday," manager Robin Ventura said of possible changes. "I know everybody wants to talk about it but we're going to play as hard as we can against St. Louis." Sale (8-5) was tagged for a season-high 11 hits in 6 1/3 innings in his first start since July 11. The All-Star lefty gave up four runs, struck out six and walked one. Sale allowed five hits in the first three innings, but Hosmer's RBI single in the first accounted for Kansas City's only run before Cain hit a leadoff drive in the sixth for his 10th homer. Alex Rios reached on a one-out single in the seventh before Orlando connected for his fourth homer. "This is not a good team to leave fastballs over the plate to," Sale said. "They take advantage of every opportunity you give them and that's what happens." Cain also had a tiebreaking homer in the 13th inning of Kansas City's 7-6 victory on Saturday. The All-Star center fielder went 1 for 4 and is batting.473 (26 for 55) with four homers and 12 RBI in his last 14 games STEPPING UP

16 Blanton, a starter for most of his career, was pressed into action in the ninth after Kansas City split a doubleheader on Friday, and then used seven relievers on Saturday. The right-hander had allowed at least one run in each of his previous five outings, but he struck out Abreu and Cabrera before Avisail Garcia bounced out to end the game. TRAINER'S ROOM Royals: RHP Kris Medlen will come off the disabled list on Monday, taking another step in his comeback from his second major elbow surgery. Medlen, who last pitched in the majors in 2013 with Atlanta, will join Kansas City's bullpen for the start of a three-game series against Pittsburgh. "He's going to be a long guy, but these things always seem to work themselves out, so I envision him long term being a starter," Yost said. White Sox: Reliever Matt Albers was activated from the 15-day disabled list and pitched 2 2/3 scoreless innings. He broke his right pinkie finger during a brawl with the Royals on April 23. INF Conor Gillaspie was designated for assignment to make room on the roster. UP NEXT Royals: RHP Yordano Ventura (4-6, 4.73 ERA) makes his second start since coming off the disabled list when the Royals host Pittsburgh on Monday night. RHP A.J. Burnett (7-3, 2.11 ERA) goes for the Pirates. White Sox: Following an off day, the White Sox host St. Louis on Tuesday night, with LHP Carlos Rodon (3-2, 3.80 ERA) starting against the Cardinals. Rapid Reaction: Royals 4, White Sox 1 Doug Padilla, ESPN.com July 19, 2015 CHICAGO -- The Chicago White Sox looked sluggish Sunday after a doubleheader and a 13-inning game, falling 4-1 to the Kansas City Royals in the finale of a four-game series. How it happened: Nothing went right for the White Sox as Chris Sale gave up two home runs and the offense was completely held in check. Sale gave up four runs over 6 1/3 innings and his six strikeouts gave him less than 10 in an outing for just the second time in his last 11 starts. In a sign of just how bad things have been for the offense, the White Sox had runners at second and third with one out in the sixth inning and both Jose Abreu and Melky Cabrera struck out. The White Sox's Tyler Saladino ended the shutout bid with his first career home run to lead off the ninth. What it means: The second half started much like the first half did, with three defeats in the opening series to the Royals. The White Sox did happen to win one of the games in Friday s doubleheader. The Royals have been one of the better teams in the American League for a few years now and their dominance really shows up in matchups with the White Sox. The Royals now lead the season series 7-3 and have outscored the White Sox this year. Kansas City has a 20-9 record against the White Sox since the start of last year. Outside the box: Sale recorded just six strikeouts in his first start of the second half, but it was enough to push him to 900 strikeouts in his career. Sale has 163 strikeouts this season, including 119 in his last 11 starts. The only other time he hasn t reached double digits in strikeouts since May 23 was a six-strikeout effort against the Toronto Blue Jays on July 6. Off beat: Signs that it would not be the White Sox s day showed up early. Alcides Escobar led off the game against Sale with a 75-foot infield single and Mike Moustakas followed with a bloop into no-man s-land in left field. Escobar eventually scored. In the bottom of the first, the White Sox s Adam Eaton hit a line drive off Moustakas glove, but Escobar picked up the ball and threw to first for the out. Adding to the issue on Eaton s ball is that he didn t break from the batter s box quickly.