Pelfrey aims to get on track against Blue Jays By Keegan Matheson / MLB.com June 17, 2017 White Sox right-hander Mike Pelfrey will square off against Blue Jays righty Marcus Stroman in the middle game of this series on Saturday at Rogers Centre. Pelfrey is on a unique schedule after pitching one inning of relief on Wednesday against the Orioles. That 14-pitch outing came two days after Pelfrey threw 83 pitches over 3 2/3 innings in a start on Monday, but that bullpen appearance was treated as part of his regular throwing schedule. In the bigger picture, Pelfrey had been growing into a more stable source of innings. After not being able to log five full innings in four of his first five starts, he pitched beyond the five-inning plateau in four straight entering the Orioles series. Stroman is coming off one of his strongest outings, tossing seven innings of one-run ball, while striking out six and not issuing a walk against the Mariners. Since walking an uncharacteristic four batters on May 24 in Milwaukee, Stroman has issued just one free pass over the last 19 innings. Stroman leads the Blue Jays with seven wins, just two shy of his 2016 total. Things to know about this game Pelfrey sits in the low-90s with his sinking fastball, which he throws on the majority of his pitches. His curveball, however, is over 20 mph slower on average and has gotten even slower this season. According to Statcast, Pelfrey's curve dropped from 73.4 mph to 70.23 this season, and it's a pitch that opposing hitters rarely put in play. After being a late scratch in the series opener, outfielder Leury Garcia could return to the starting lineup on Saturday. Garcia was still experiencing soreness in his left hand, despite entering Thursday's game as a defensive substitute. Blue Jays left fielder Steve Pearce returned from the DL for the series opener, but he will likely get a day of rest on Saturday with a right-hander on the mound. In his place, rookie Dwight Smith Jr. is expected to earn another start. Melky's 5 RBIs help White Sox throttle Jays By Gregor Chisholm and Keegan Matheson / MLB.com June 16th, 2017 TORONTO -- Joe Biagini had been on a nice little roll as a starting pitcher, but somebody forgot to tell the top of the White Sox lineup. Alen Hanson, Melky Cabrera and Jose Abreu combined to go 7-for-13 with four extra-base hits and nine RBIs in an 11-4 victory over the Blue Jays on Friday night at Rogers Centre. The White Sox have won four of their last five games and a victory on Saturday or Sunday would give them back-to-back series wins for the first time since late April. After being staked to an early lead, White Sox lefty Jose Quintana was able to cruise through most of his outing. The 28-year-old allowed two runs on five hits with a pair of walks and five strikeouts over seven frames. Quintana (3-8) has allowed three runs or fewer in three starts this month, but Friday was the first time since May 19 that he completed at least six innings.
"Today my command was really good," Quintana said. "I threw a lot of strikes. My fastball command and offspeed late were good. The fastball command on both sides was really good tonight." Biagini endured the worst start of his young career. He allowed four runs in the first and three more in the second before he was pulled from the game. Biagini allowed seven runs -- six earned -- on eight hits and a walk. He did not record a strikeout for the first time in eight starts and he retired just three batters in the shortest start of his career. Steve Pearce, Kendrys Morales and Justin Smoak homered for the Blue Jays, who dropped to 5-11 against a left-handed starting pitcher this season. Pearce came off the disabled list prior to the game, while Smoak has 19 home runs, which is tied with the Rays' Logan Morrison for the second-highest total in the American League. Yankees slugger Aaron Judge leads with 22. "Obviously, he was off, there was no question about that," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said of Biagini. "He just had trouble throwing strikes. I had never seen that out of him before I think it was just one of those outings. That's the way it goes sometimes. He has been so good. I don't want to look into it too deeply. Health wise, he's fine there." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Jose gets best of Jose: The White Sox didn't waste time getting to Biagini. Hanson hit a leadoff infield single and Cabrera followed with a walk. Abreu then hit a deep fly ball to the corner in right field. Jose Bautista attempted to make a play on it, but he crashed into the wall and the ball bounced away toward the infield. Two runs scored on Abreu's eighth career triple, which came as part of a four-run first. "Defense can always set a tone for a game," Gibbons said. "Early, late. There were a couple of chopped balls to second with guys who can fly, those aren't easy plays. Bottom line, [Biagini] was off tonight, which is very unusual, we haven't seen that out of him." The Melk Man: Chicago's lineup kept coming for Biagini in the second. Yolmer Sanchez and Hanson led off with singles and then Cabrera came through with a double to the gap in right-center against his former team. Both runners scored and Cabrera came home on Abreu's RBI double to right that chased Biagini from the game. Cabrera, who finished with five RBIs, reached base at least three times for the third time this month -- lifting an average that was.259 on June 1 to.281. "The team is playing well right now," Cabrera said through a translator. "The most important thing is to keep working, keep doing the things that we have been doing, and we believe in ourselves." QUOTABLE "I felt like I was not staying within my mechanics very well. This is something I used to struggle with a lot in the Minor Leagues, especially my first couple of years when I really struggled. I made some improvements on that over the course of my time pitching but once in awhile, I think it flares up a little bit." -- Biagini, on what he noticed while watching video of his start SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS Cabrera's three-run jack in the fifth inning was his hardest-hit homer since Statcast was introduced in 2015. The shot to left field came off his bat at 110.2 mph, which surpassed his previous best of 107.5 on June 28, 2015.
The Blue Jays are 0-7 in games that would have got them to.500.... Toronto's 6.14 ERA in the first inning ranks 25th in the Majors. WHAT'S NEXT White Sox: Right-hander Mike Pelfrey (2-5, 3.81 ERA) will start Saturday's middle game at 12:07 p.m. CT. He worked one inning of relief on Wednesday, just two days after throwing 83 pitches in his previous start. Pelfrey last faced the Blue Jays on July 8, 2016, throwing six innings of one-run ball. Blue Jays: Right-hander Marcus Stroman (7-2, 3.09) will take the mound when this series continues on Saturday at 1:07 p.m. ET. Stroman has allowed two earned runs or fewer in all but one of his previous seven outings, and he has gone at least six innings in each of his last three. Moncada reaches six times for Charlotte By Mike Rosenbaum / MLB.com June 17, 2017 Pitchers in the Pacific Coast League are quickly learning that Ryan McMahon is a threat to do damage each time he steps to the plate. The Rockies' No. 5 prospect recorded a career-high seven RBIs behind his second straight two-homer game on Friday for Triple-A Albuquerque. He ultimately fell a triple short of the cycle, finishing 5-for-6 with two home runs, two doubles and three runs scored. However, not even McMahon's big performance was enough to keep the Isotopes from falling to Fresno, 15-14. Completing his cycle certainly appeared to be on McMahon's mind when he came to bat in the bottom of the sixth inning. After working the count full, the 22-year-old third baseman was caught between second and third base as he attempted to stretch his two-out, RBI double to right field into a triple. He struck out swinging in the eighth inning, snapping a streak of nine straight at-bats with a hit going back to Wednesday. McMahon's first home run, a two-run shot to left-center field in the third inning, marked his third straight game with a homer. He then made it consecutive multi-homer games in the bottom of the ninth when he connected on a three-run blast to center field. After hitting a pair of homers on Thursday as part 4-for-4, four-rbi performance, McMahon has now tallied all five of his Triple-A home runs in his last three games. Overall, he's gone deep 11 times in 63 contests this season between the Double- and Triple-A levels. What's more, McMahon has hit safely in 10 straight games for the Isotopes, eight of which have been of the multi-hit variety, and he owns a.448 average with a 1.313 OPS and 17 RBIs in 13 games since being promoted from Double-A. The rest of the best performances from top prospects Friday No. 1 overall prospect Yoan Moncada (White Sox No. 1) reached based six times for Triple-A Charlotte, going 4-for-4 with two walks, two runs scored and four RBIs out of the leadoff spot. One of
those hits was his eighth home run, a three-run shot in the fifth inning, and he's now recorded multiple hits in two of his past three contests. No. 2 overall prospect Gleyber Torres (Yankees' No. 1) went 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI in Triple- A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre's victory over Buffalo. Clint Frazier (Yankees' No. 2, No. 18 overall) also contributed with a three-run homer, his 12th of the season, while right-hander Domingo Acevedo (Yankees' No. 12) allowed one earned run on three hits in seven innings to record the win in his Triple-A debut. No. 16 overall prospect Willy Adames (Rays' No. 1) banged out a pair of run-scoring doubles in a 3-for- 4 performance for Triple-A Durham. After a relatively slow start to his season, the 21-year-old shortstop is batting.392/.508/.627 with seven extra-base hits in 14 games this month. Making his United States debut, No. 91 overall prospect Adrian Morejon (Padres' No. 3) allowed a home run to the first batter he faced but yielded just two singles over three scoreless frames the rest of the way for short-season Class A Tri-City. Signed for $11 million last July, the precocious 18-year-old lefty has the potential to develop into a frontline starter in the big leagues. A day removed from going 6-for-7 with five RBIs, No. 100 overall prospect Bo Bichette (Blue Jays' No. 5) came right back to go 2-for-5 with a double and a steal in Class A Lansing's loss against West Michigan. Thanks to five multi-hit efforts in his last five games, the 19-year-old shortstop continues to pace the Midwest League in all three triple-slash categories, at.400/.466/.644, through 55 games. Royals No. 4 prospect Scott Blewett matched his career high as he struck out 10 over six scoreless innings in a win for Class A Advanced Wilmington. He threw 90 pitches (58 strikes) in the outing, allowing two hits and three walks. He owns a 4.00 ERA in 72 innings (13 starts) this season. "I just attacked the zone, didn't try to do too much, went right at them," Blewett told MiLB.com. "I faced most of these guys the last two years when they were in Greenville and this is the second time I've faced them this year, so I had a game plan and executed it." Padres No. 8 prospect Eric Lauer tossed five scoreless innings for Class A Advanced Lake Elsinore to lower his California League-leading ERA to 2.15. He scattered six hits and struck out six while throwing 52 of his 73 pitches for strikes. He owns a 76-to-16 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 62 2/3 frames (11 starts) this season. Dylan Cozens and Rhys Hoskins, the Phillies Nos. 9 and 13 prospects, respectively, both went deep, scored two runs and went 2-for-4 in Triple-A Lehigh Valley's loss against Syracuse. They are tied for the International League lead with 15 homers each. Phillies No. 25 prospect JoJo Romero set a career high with 10 strikeouts as he completed eight scoreless innings for Class A Lakewood for the second time this season. The 20-year-old southpaw scattered four hits, generated eight ground-ball outs and did not issue a walk, throwing 65 of his 89 pitches for strikes in the outing. He lowered his ERA to 2.01 with the performance, and he's registered
76 strikeouts in 71 2/3 innings (12 starts) while holding hitters to a.217 average. White Sox shower Jose Quintana with run support in rout of Blue Jays By Dan Hayes / CSN Chicago June 16, 2017 TORONTO Jose Quintana took another big step forward on Friday night and the White Sox rewarded him handsomely. And then some. And then some more. The White Sox provided Quintana with half as many runs as they have all season on Friday night in an 11-4 rout of the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Quintana responded with seven sharp innings to earn his first victory since May 2. Melky Cabrera homered, drove in five runs and had an outfield assist for the White Sox, who finished with 14 hits as they won for the fourth time in five games. Wow it was a lot of runs, Quintana said. It was really good, (gives me) confidence and (I tried) to get my outs every inning. I wanted to throw the ball really well tonight. Needed that outing to get my confidence high again. Quintana has never been justly supported by his teammates. He s the king of no decisions. This season has seen the worst of it as Quintana entered the game with a 2.65-run support average, the worst in the majors. The White Sox had scored 22 runs this season with Quintana on the mound. They d produced two or fewer runs for him in 10 of 13 previous starts. But for one night at least the White Sox tried to make up for their inadequacies. Alen Hanson, who reached base four times in five trips, singled and Cabrera walked ahead of a two-run triple by Jose Abreu in the first inning off Blue Jays starter Joe Biagini. Todd Frazier s sac fly made it 3-0 and Biagini s error on Tim Anderson s infield single allowed Matt Davidson, who doubled, to score the fourth run. The support continued in the second when Cabrera doubled in two runs and Abreu doubled him in to make it a 7-0 contest. Hanson added an RBI single in the third and Cabrera blasted a three-run shot in the fifth as well. It s only the fourth time in Quintana s career he has received double-digit run support. Quintana then did what he s supposed to with the enormous lead. He pitched to contact. He got his team back into the dugout quickly. And he only issued two walks. The result was Quintana s sixth quality start of the season and his best effort since throwing a one-hitter over eight innings at Seattle on May 19. He just kept pitching, manager Rick Renteria said. I thought his changeup was working really well. Pumped the strikes. Worked ahead. He did a nice job. That s one of the better outings we ve had in a while. And, that s the first time we ve given him that type of support to start the game.
Quintana surrendered leadoff homers in the second (Kendrys Morales) and third innings (Steve Pearce) but nothing more. He limited the Blue Jays to two runs and five hits while striking out five. The lefthander threw strikes on 61 of 99 pitches and benefitted from three double plays. Cabrera also erased Todd Frazier s two-base error when he threw Pearce out at home on Darwin Barney s two-out single in the fifth. After surrendering 15 earned runs over consecutive starts, Quintana has begun to rediscover the formula that made him great the past four seasons. By hitting the corners and not leaving mistakes over the middle, Quintana has a 3.12 ERA in his past three starts. It s what everyone has always expected from Quintana, the team s most dependable starter since 2013. It s also the kind of rebound the White Sox teammates, coaches and front office personnel all believe Quintana is capable of making. And on Friday they showered him with their support. We felt good, but we kept going to score as many runs as we can, especially for Jose, Cabrera said through an interpreter. We were happy about it. What parts of Aaron Judge s game Matt Davidson has tried to incorporate into his own By Dan Hayes / CSN Chicago June 16, 2017 TORONTO -- Matt Davidson looks at how fellow rookie Aaron Judge has performed this season and marvels at the New York Yankees slugger s consistency. Second among American League rookies to Judge in home runs, Davidson is in awe of how his counterpart has managed to replicate both swing and approach on a daily basis while he endures the daily rigors of life in the majors. Davidson, who continued a tear of his own on Friday night against the Toronto Blue Jays with a firstinning double, hopes to take one aspect of Judge s approach and apply it to his own. He thinks staying relaxed at the plate has played a huge role in a current run that has resulted in home runs in four straight games. That he s kept very consistent like this is very impressive because that s the hardest thing in baseball is you play every day and want to replicate the same thing, but you don t feel the same way, Davidson said. I know when I struggle I m too tense and you can tell he s very relaxed up there. My biggest thing I ve done lately is I ve completely relaxed and took the tension out and not panicked up there. It wasn t long ago Davidson was in the exact opposite place he is now. After he blasted his 10th homer on May 28, Davidson went into an extended funk, going 4-for-30 with no homers, 19 strikeouts and one walk between May 29-June 9. On June 10, Davidson followed Todd Frazier down to the bullpen to stand in against one of the team s starting pitcher and track pitches. Frazier, who has had a hot June of his own because of improved pitch
selection, predicted Davidson would catch fire. Later that night, Davidson s two-run single in the first inning helped the White Sox take a lead against the Cleveland Indians they wouldn t relinquish. Davidson hasn t slowed down much since. I m really not trying to swing hard at all and I ve been able have a better and put the barrel on the ball better, Davidson said. Davidson said he s simply trying to not overanalyze what he s doing right or wrong so he can get prepared for the next night s game. He likes how Judge always looks calm. Manager Rick Renteria said he s seen a more relaxed approach from Davidson recently, too. If you try to think about a lot of things, your mind starts racing, Renteria said. He s absolutely right. He s staying much more relaxed and focused on just a simple approach. He looks very relaxed, and when he gets pitches he can handle, he puts a pretty good charge into them. Hopefully that will continue. That Davidson s demeanor stayed the same despite his struggles isn t a surprise to Jim Thome, the team s special assistant to the general manager. Thome has spent a lot of time working with Davidson the past few seasons while he struggled in the minors. Despite his issues, Thome always found that Davidson was the same. When I look back to three years ago, he s never changed, Thome said. The best part about him is his makeup. The big power bat isn t bad, either, especially when Davidson is locked in as he is now. Davidson entered Friday with homers in four straight games, one shy of the team record. Though he s 26 and debuted back in 2013, Davidson still qualifies as a rookie. He s been around, but he s inexperienced, which means Davidson is still learning to manage life in the majors. That means finding a way to put his best game forward every day no matter how he feels. Earlier this season, Renteria could hide Davidson more often when he had Cody Asche to face the tougher right-handed pitchers. Renteria doesn t have that luxury now and Davidson is playing much more consistently, which has led to some struggles. But Davidson sees it all as critical experience and he s learning how to manage. If he can learn a little something from Judge, he won t complain about it, either. It has to be one of the most mentally challenging tasks in the world, Davidson said. There s no days off. You ve got prepare every day and you have to compete. You basically see what you re worth that day. It s every day. You don t get a couple days off, or three days to get it right, it s every single day with travel. We all know that and that s why you know all it takes is one game, one at-bat to get back. That s where you can t get too high or too low, you can t look into things on either side. It looks like (Judge is) not trying to do too much at all right now, which is very impressive for his size and strength. HOW THE WHITE SOX HOPE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF LEURY GARCIA'S ABSENCE IN CENTER FIELD
By Dan Hayes / CSN Chicago June 16, 2017 TORONTO -- The White Sox are taking advantage of Leury Garcia s sore hand to get a look at Alen Hanson in center field. Hanson has only appeared in center field in one professional game, but the White Sox want to find out if he s capable or not. An infielder by trade, Hanson has played 40 total games in the outfield between the majors and minors. The majority of those appearances have come in left field but the White Sox want to see just how much flexibility Hanson, whom they claimed off waivers a week ago, can offer. Hanson was a late replacement in Friday s lineup against the Toronto Blue Jays for Garcia, who was scratched with swelling his left hand. (Daryl Boston) had him out here earlier, kind of preparing for that possibility because we do want him to be able to play that position, manager Rick Renteria said. It gives us flexibility and we ll make adjustments as we move along. He s all in. He looks pretty comfortable. He s pretty excited. Forced into action after three days off, Garcia batted twice late in Thursday s victory and had a sac fly. But the utility man -- whose X-ray Monday showed bruising only -- woke up with more swelling and didn t feel comfortable swinging the bat. When I tried to play some catch and the ball hit (I felt it) in the hand, Garcia said. I was in the lineup but I can t really swing. I think day by day. We ll see tomorrow how it feels. Renteria said Garcia could be available, though it would most likely be restricted to pinch running or perhaps as a late defensive replacement. The White Sox intend to be cautious to allow for a reduction in Garcia s swelling. Meanwhile, Hanson could get tested by the loud environment at the Rogers Centre. A 30,000-plus crowd is expected on Friday night, which could disrupt communication in the outfield. It s going to be loud in here, Renteria said. Those guys have handle signals. When you re communicating in the outfield in a loud arena, it s command and its constant. It s not just a couple of times. You re actually commanding throughout the whole run because the closer you get to your teammate the better chance they have of listening and hearing you. I m sure they ll be making some adjustments and hopefully it all works out. WHITE SOX MINOR LEAGUE REPORT: JORDAN GUERRERO TURNING HEADS WITH BARONS By Scott Krinch / CSN Chicago June 16, 2017 As part of a weekly series, presented by Ozinga, CSNChicago.com will highlight the top performances of several prospects in a weekly minor league report. White Sox Blueprint Player of the Week: Jordan Guerrero (SP), Birmingham Barons
After struggling throughout the first two months of the season, Jordan Guerrero has turned the corner in the month of June. In his last three starts, Guerrero has allowed just three earned runs and 16 hits with 14 strikeouts across 23 innings. Guerrero tossed his first complete game of the season Tuesday night, surrendering just two hits and notching 4 strikeouts against the Mobile BayBears. The 6-foot-3 left-hander, who was originally drafted by the White Sox in 2012, is not currently ranked among the team's Top 30 prospects on MLB Pipeline. Charlotte Knights The Charlotte Knights have been scuffling at the plate as of late, but one bright spot has been the White Sox Opening Day center fielder. Since getting sent down to Charlotte, Jacob May has a.277/.339/.396 slash line in Triple-A. May has six hits in his last six games and drove in three runs in the Knights' victory Thursday night. The speedy May has stolen four bases in his last 10 games. Winston-Salem Dash Landon Lassiter has opened some eyes in Winston-Salem this season. The 24-year-old outfielder has been scorching at the plate. Over his last 10 games, Lassiter is hitting.333 with a homer and seven RBI. Since getting selected by the White Sox in the 21st round of the 2015 MLB Draft, Lassiter has a.290/.379/.391 minor-league slash line with seven home runs and 71 RBI in 195 games. Kannapolis Intimidators The White Sox have a pair of offensive prospects in Kannapolis who have struck fear in the eye of opposing pitchers over the last few weeks. Outfielder Micker Adolfo has found his power stroke as he's smashed four home runs and 10 RBI over his last 10 games. Fellow Intimidators outfielder Joel Booker, a 22nd round pick of the White Sox last year, has registered 16 hits to go along with a homer and four RBI during that same span. Pitcher Alec Hansen continues to post video game numbers on the mound for Kannapolis as he's allowed just eight baserunners to go along with 18 strikeouts in his last two starts. DSL White Sox Luis Robert's professional debut with the White Sox was a success as the 19-year-old Cuban outfielder belted a home run in his second at-bat in the Dominican Summer League.
Robert has only played in three games and has scored two runs, walked four times and stolen one base. 17-year-old outfielder Anthony Coronado leads the DSL White Sox with a.353 batting average and seven RBI in 11 games. Jose Quintana, White Sox offense come alive in 11-4 victory over Blue Jays Colleen Kane / Chicago Tribune June 16, 2017 When Jose Quintana entered his start against the Blue Jays on Friday night at the Rogers Centre, he was receiving a career-low 2.65 run-support average from his White Sox teammates. The phrase "career-low" is notable considering Quintana's history with helplessly waiting for help from his offense. Of course, the Sox left-hander has had bigger problems than a lack of offensive support this season, but he certainly was put at ease this game as the Sox racked up all their runs with him on the mound in an 11-4 victory. He had received 22 runs of support over his previous 13 starts. Melky Cabrera had five RBIs, including a three-run homer, against his former team, and Jose Abreu drove in three runs to help the Sox and Quintana seize the opener of a six-game trip and win for the fourth time in five games. "Wow, it was a lot of runs," Quintana said. "That really gave me confidence, and I tried to get my outs every inning. I wanted to throw the ball really well tonight. We needed that outing to get my confidence high again." Quintana arrived in Toronto 0-4 with a 6.51 ERA in his last seven starts. He left with his first quality start since May 19 and first victory since May 2 after allowing two runs on five hits with two walks and five strikeouts over seven innings. The only runs against him came on home runs from Kendrys Morales and Steve Pearce to open the bottom of the second and third innings. Cabrera saved another run when he fielded Darwin Barney's single to left field and threw out Pearce trying to score to end the fifth. Quintana finished his night when he snagged Russell Martin's line drive at his head and doubled Troy Tulowitzki off first base to end the seventh. He blew breath out slowly in relief as he walked off the field. "His changeup was working really well," Sox manager Rick Renteria said. "He was throwing for strikes and worked ahead. That's one of the better outings he has had in a while, and it's the first time we've given him that type of run support in the first two innings." Sox general manager Rick Hahn said earlier this week that he believed the club's No. 1 starter was "not far" from returning to his old form, and Quintana said he "absolutely" feels like he could be getting on track.
"Early on he had some slight issues with a few more of his fly balls leaving the yard, which was causing some damage," Hahn said. "He had a couple of big innings where he was unable to stem the tide, and that made the overall numbers look more off than what we've normally seen from him. It has been quick to come and go in starts, and it's sort of a matter of a little more consistency and in-game adjustments to get him on track." A Sox offense that fired up against the Orioles this week stayed hot, even though Matt Davidson's homerun streak ended at four games. Abreu hit a two-run triple in the first and an RBI double in the second that drove Blue Jays starter Joe Biagini from the game. Cabrera had a two-run double in the second and a three-run homer in the fifth. Rookie Alen Hanson had three hits in the first three innings, including an RBI single to give the Sox an 8-1 lead in the third. "We felt good," Cabrera said through a team interpreter. "But we kept going to score as many runs as we could, especially for Jose." Alen Hanson latest to get spin in White Sox center-field wheel of fortune Colleen Kane / Chicago Tribune June 16, 2017 Over 719 career games in the minor leagues and 67 in the majors, Alen Hanson had started in center field once before Friday. That's when the White Sox decided he might as well gain experience at the position against the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. The left hand of starting center fielder Leury Garcia was sore and swollen a day after he subbed into a game against the Orioles because right fielder Avisail Garcia was ejected. Leury had missed the previous three games with the injury suffered Sunday on the bases, and he was scratched from the lineup Friday because it still bothers him when he hits. "Nothing is broken, just swelling," he said. "There's still a little bit there." Manager Rick Renteria said they wanted Hanson to grow comfortable in center field anyway, so firstbase coach Daryl Boston did early work with him there Friday. Hanson, an infielder the Sox claimed off waivers from the Pirates last week, has played 37 games in left field in the minors and two in right field in the majors. "It gives us flexibility and we'll make adjustments as we move along," Renteria said. "He's pretty excited. Anybody would be excited to play in the big leagues anywhere on the diamond in the big leagues." The Sox have cycled through center-field options ever since spring training. They opted to bring in Jacob May as the starter out of spring training over veteran Peter Bourjos, whom they traded to the Rays. But May was overmatched at the plate in his first big-league stint and Garcia
looked solid playing every day, so the Sox sent May back to Triple-A Charlotte for more development. They also called up and returned Adam Engel as a backup option for Garcia. Willy Garcia, who started in center field Thursday, is more of a corner outfielder but has backed up Leury when needed. "I don't think he's looking like a slouch out there," Renteria said of Willy. "He plays a little shallow. He has had a couple of balls hit on a line that he wasn't able to get to, but for the most part he does a nice job." Series preview: White Sox at Blue Jays Injury report: Center-field prospect Charlie Tilson, who is recovering from a stress reaction in his right foot, has been playing in controlled-environment intrasquad games at extended spring training in Arizona. General manager Rick Hahn said they hoped to send him on a rehab assignment in late June or early July, but that could be a lengthy assignment. "He continues to climb, but now we're getting to the point where it has been about 11 months since he has been in a competitive game," Hahn said "We have a build that is going to take place before he's back out there. Second baseman Tyler Saladino, recovering from back pain, didn't travel with the Sox, and Hahn said the club hoped to send him to Arizona during the trip to ramp up baseball activity. Quintana pitches a good one; White Sox bats erupt in 11-4 victory Daryl Van Schouwen / Chicago Sun-Times June 16, 2017 TORONTO If the White Sox are in fact gearing up to trade left-hander Jose Quintana, his outing against the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre might be something of a building block. Quintana, of course, was viewed as a prized commodity on the trade market last offseason because of his record, left-handedness, age (28) and a contract that tops out at $11.5 million in 2020. Offers weren t attractive enough for general manager Rick Hahn to pull the trigger on a winter deal, and since then, Quintana s value has declined because of the worst stretch in his otherwise impressive career. It certainly does hurt his value, a National League executive said. This is what happens when you ask for too much in return. Buy low, sell high, right? They should just hold on to him and not sell low. Now that the draft is over, execs such as Hahn are turning their attention to the trade market. With six weeks to go before the trade deadline, Quintana, who pitched seven innings and allowed two runs in the Sox 11-4 rout Friday of the Jays, can wipe away those first 13 starts in which he went 2-8 with a 5.30 ERA. Jose Quintana throws against the Blue Jays during first-inning baseball game action in Toronto, Friday, June 16, 2017. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP) If he pitches well for the next six weeks, the White Sox will have plenty of suitors, the exec said.
In that regard, Quintana got off to a good start in a hitters park, holding the Jays to five hits, walking two and striking out five. He did allow home runs to Kendrys Morales (his 14th) in the second and Steve Pearce (fifth) in the third. Quintana also struck out Jose Bautista, Morales and Justin Smoak in order in a 1-2-3 fourth. I needed that outing tonight, Quintana said. Get my confidence high again. Three double plays helped, including an eye-level liner to the mound by Russell Martin on Quintana s last pitch. All said and done, it was a start the Sox or any contending team would take every night. My fastball command was really good on both sides of the plate, said Quintana, who improved to 6-2 (he s 5-0 at Rogers Centre) with a 1.77 ERA in his career against Toronto. I was throwing strikes and getting ahead early. With the Sox (30-36) pounding right-hander Joe Biagini for four runs before Quintana took the mound in the first and adding three more in the second, he found himself in rare air pitching with a 7-0 lead. He had received a 2.65 run-support average, the lowest in the majors, going in, and his 3.84 RSA since 2012 was the second-lowest in the majors behind Andrew Cashner (3.71). But the Sox, who won for the fifth time in seven games, gave all-out support to Quintana (3-8, 5.07 ERA). Left fielder Melky Cabrera hit a home run, drove in five runs and threw Pearce, who was trying to score from second on a single, out at home. Hahn has been refuting the notion that he passed on a good deal for Quintana during the offseason, his early-season struggles notwithstanding. Not on the trip with the club, Hahn had to enjoy watching Quintana on TV. He no doubt wants to see more in the coming weeks, or months if the Sox hold on to him. He is still one of the highest-impact left-handed starters in the game, Hahn said. Leury Garcia misses fifth straight start; Sox jump on Blue Jays Daryl Van Schouwen / Chicago Sun Times June 16, 2017 TORONTO Center fielder Leury Garcia was a late scratch with a sore left hand Friday, missing his fifth consecutive start, but it didn t hurt the White Sox one bit. Recent waiver claim Alen Hanson stepped in to play center for the second time in his pro career and provided a spark as the leadoff man with three singles, a walk, a stolen base, three runs and an RBI against the Blue Jays. Manager Rick Renteria said Hanson was all in about playing center his only other game there was in Class AAA in the Pirates system last season and looked pretty comfortable working there before the game.
I didn t feel 100 percent, but I thought I could get in a swing, said Garcia, having the best year of his career with a.298 average, six home runs and 22 RBI, including a pinch sacrifice fly Thursday. But [Friday], there was a little swelling again. Hanson had played left and right in Class AAA last season, but the Sox want a look at the former top-100 prospect in center. We want him to be able to play that position, Renteria said. It gives us flexibility. It seems like everything first baseman Jose Abreu has hit in the last month and a half has been on the nose. He says the formula has been basic: Stay inside the ball and make good contact. Do that, and the ball will take care of itself, Abreu said. I m just trying to put good swings on the ball, and the results are going to come. Abreu, who hit a two-run triple off the right-field wall in the Sox four-run first inning against righthander Joe Biagini and doubled in another run in the second, was 11-for-24 in his previous six games going into the series opener against the Jays. In his previous 48 games, he was batting.326/.383/.544 with 10 homers, 31 RBI and a.927 OPS. The back story It was last April in Toronto when Kevan Smith, a couple of hours before he was set to make his majorleague debut as the starting catcher, had his back lock up during the Sox pregame stretch. The debut would have to wait till Sept. 1. I went right into a stretch that I did completely wrong, Smith recalled, and it just locked up. It was one of those things I couldn t explain. Smith will get that elusive start in Toronto before the weekend series is over. Sharing the catching load with Omar Narvaez with Geovany Soto (elbow) on the disabled list, he has started 22 games. He was batting.315 with a homer, six doubles and seven RBI in his last 18 games. I know I can play here, he said. Rodon to make third start Left-hander Carlos Rodon, on the disabled list since Opening Day with bursitis in his left biceps, is scheduled to make his third rehab start Saturday for Class AAA Charlotte against Indianapolis. Cabrera, Quintana lead White Sox over Blue Jays 11-4 By Paul Attfield / Associated Press June 16, 2017 TORONTO -- Pitching at Rogers Centre again was all Jose Quintana needed to end his long winless stretch. Getting a lot of run support helped, too.
The left-hander pitched seven strong innings to pick up his first win since May 2 as the Chicago White Sox beat the Toronto Blue Jays 11-4 Friday night. Quintana (3-8) improved to 5-0 in five career starts in Toronto after coming in 0-4 over his previous seven outings. Despite coming into the game with a career-low run support of 2.65 per game this season, the lowest such mark in the majors, he got plenty against the Blue Jays as the White Sox scored seven runs in the first two innings. "Every time is good when you get a lot of (run) support," he said. "Wow, it was a lot of runs though." Melky Cabrera accounted for the majority of those in his return to Toronto, where he played from 2013-14. The left fielder hit his seventh home run and knocked in five runs to lead the White Sox to their fifth straight win at Rogers Centre, and their eighth victory in their last nine games against the Blue Jays. With first-hand knowledge of just how potent the Blue Jays' lineup can sometimes be, Cabrera said that his team was not about to let up. "We felt good but we kept going," he said through a translator. "We score as many runs as we can, especially for Jose and we were happy about it." Toronto starter Joe Biagini (1-6) lasted just 33 pitches, getting yanked with none out in the second inning. The right-hander gave up eight hits and seven runs in the shortest start of his career. "I kind of felt like I was kind of not staying within my mechanics very well," he said. Manager John Gibbons was somewhat surprised by Biagini's struggles as he failed to record a strikeout. The 14 hits recorded by Chicago marked the third time this month Toronto has given up as many. "He just had trouble throwing strikes," Gibbons said. "I've never seen that out of him before. He was on six days' rest with all the off-days, but no excuses." All of the Blue Jays' scoring came on home runsl, with Kendrys Morales and Steve Pearce hitting solo shots early on and Justin Smoak adding a two-run shot in the ninth inning. It was Pearce's 19th home run of the season to leave him one shy of matching his career high. According to STATS, the game marked the 11th time that the Blue Jays have hit three or more home runs and lost by seven or more runs. WELCOME BACK? According to StatsCentre, Cabrera is the first former Blue Jays player to have five or more RBIs against his old team since Jayson Werth had eight on May 16, 2008. DOUBLE DOWNER
The Blue Jays hit into four double plays for just the second time ever in a game against the White Sox. The first time took place on May 21, 1985. GETTING OVER THE HUMP At 32-33 coming into the game, Toronto had another chance to get back to.500 for the first time since opening day. For the seventh time though, the Blue Jays spurned the opportunity. INSPIRED SUBSTITION Two nights after hitting his first career home run, Alen Hanson was called to start in place of Leury Garcia in center field and bat leadoff. He took advantage of the opportunity with his first three-hit game, going 3 of 4 with a stolen base, three runs and one run batted in. TRAINER'S ROOM White Sox: OF Leury Garcia was pulled from the starting lineup with a left hand complaint, and replaced in the starting lineup by utility player Alen Hanson. Manager Rick Renteria expected Garcia to be available off the bench, and the team will see how the hand is on Saturday. Blue Jays: OF Pearce returned from the 10-day DL following his calf strain and was inserted straight into the starting lineup.. In a corresponding move, utilityman Chris Coghlan was placed on the DL with a left wrist contusion. UP NEXT White Sox: RHP Mike Pelfrey (2-5, 3.88) is 2-1 with a 2.08 ERA and 22 strikeouts over his last five starts. Blue Jays: RHP Marcus Stroman (7-2, 3.09) aims for his first career win against the White Sox in his fifth start against them Report: White Sox expect to trade Jose Quintana By Grey Papke/ Yardbarker via Larry Brown Sports June 16, 2017 Jun 8, 2017; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Jose Quintana (62) looks on from the dugout against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports Jose Quintana s name has come up in trade rumors repeatedly over the past several years, but this season, it may not be a false alarm. According to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports, people associated with the Chicago White Sox are acting as if they will trade their left-handed starter this season. Though Quintana has gotten off to an underwhelming start, the team does not believe it will hinder his trade value too much. Quintana has a 5.30 ERA and a league-leading eight losses in his first 13 starts of 2017, but has a long track record of success prior to that.
There will be no shortage of teams seeking starting pitching at the deadline, and the White Sox were reportedly discussing trades before the season. It would not be a shock to see something get done.