WHITE SOX HEADLINES OF April 17, 2017 Avisail's two-run shot lifts White Sox in 10 Rhett Bollinger & Patrick Donbelly, MLB.com Simplified approach working for hot Garcia Patrick Donnelly, MLB.com In My Words: Holland settling in with Sox Derek Holland, MLB.com One-hitter brings back memories for Swarzak Patrick Donnelly, MLB.com Holland starts series opener in the Bronx Patrick Donnelly, MLB.com White Sox top 10 prospects weekly report Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune Avisail Garcia stays hot for White Sox with 10th-inning homer against Twins Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune White Sox closer David Robertson off to sharp start Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune Avisail Garcia shrugs off his critics through torrid start Daryl Van Schouwen, Chicago Sun Times Avisail Garcia powers White Sox to extra-inning win over Twins Daryl Van Schouwen, Chicago Sun Times Third and strong: James Shields hasn t had a bad start yet Daryl Van Schouwen, Chicago Sun Times Avisail Garcia s 10th-inning homer leads White Sox over Twins Associated Press Avisail's two-run shot lifts White Sox in 10 By Rhett Bollinger and Patrick Donnelly / MLB.com April 16th, 2017 MINNEAPOLIS -- Avisail Garcia continued his blistering start to the season, collecting a career-high four hits, including a go-ahead two-run homer in the 10th, to carry the White Sox to a 3-1 win over the Twins on Sunday at Target Field. The Twins opted to pitch to Garcia with two outs and a runner at third base after reliever Ryan Pressly struck out Jose Abreu. But the decision backfired, as Garcia crushed an 0-1, 98-mph fastball the opposite way to right field for a two-run shot to finish 4-for-5. "The first swing, I just swung hard," said Garcia, who leads the Majors with a.465 batting average. "I said to myself, 'Don't try to do too much. Just put the barrel on the ball,' because he throws hard. So that's what I did." Twins lefty Hector Santiago kept up his strong start to the year with seven scoreless innings, scattering six hits with no walks and six strikeouts. He was stuck with a no-decision, but improved his ERA to 1.47 through three starts. "All around, I pitched good, but the end result wasn't what we wanted," Santiago said. "I pounded the zone and was throwing a lot of strikes with early contact." White Sox right-hander James Shields was also solid, surrendering one run on five hits and three walks and striking out five over six innings. The lone run Shields allowed came on Brian Dozier's first career inside-the-park homer in the fifth. "He's a competitor, he's a pro," White Sox manager Rick Renteria said of Shields, who lowered his ERA to 1.62. "He wants to show everybody that he's still the guy who can go out there and give you a chance to win a ballgame." The White Sox tied it at 1 in the eighth on a sacrifice fly from Matt Davidson off reliever Matt Belisle, scoring Abreu from third. Byron Buxton didn't quite set his feet before the throw from center, and it bounced off the mound, allowing Abreu to score. MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Garcias combine to make Twins pay: Leury Garcia started the rally in the 10th with a leadoff double off Pressly, before he was bunted over to third. The Twins decided not to intentionally walk Abreu, but Pressly came through with a strikeout. They weren't as lucky with Avisail Garcia, as his two-run homer left the bat at 105.5 mph and went a projected 388 feet to right, per Statcast. "It's a situation where we all know how hot [Avisail Garcia] is," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "I'm not huge on walking guys to get to other people. I thought we had a guy in there with the stuff to get out of it. But he obviously left a ball up that Garcia could handle."
Dozier races around the bases: Dozier missed Saturday's game with a sore right knee, but proved he was healthy with his inside-the-park homer. Dozier hit a 1-2 cutter from Shields into deep center field. It hit off Jacob May's glove and rolled along the warning track toward right field as Dozier circled the bases. Dozier reached home in 15.41 seconds, the 10thfastest inside-the-park homer tracked in the Statcast era (since 2015). "I saw it the whole way," Dozier said. "When I saw it kick off to the right, I decided to get to a second gear. I couldn't get to fifth gear, but got it to a different gear." SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS Dozier's inside-the-parker was the 52nd in Twins history, and the first since Buxton's against the White Sox on Oct. 3, 2016. It was also the second in Target Field history, joining Eduardo Nunez, who did it last year on June 2. WHAT'S NEXT White Sox: Left-hander Derek Holland (1-1, 1.50) will look for his third straight quality start as the Sox travel to New York to face the Yankees on Monday at 6:05 p.m. CT. Outfielder Melky Cabrera will return to the active roster after missing three games due to paternity leave. Twins: The Twins remain home to host the Indians in a four-game series that begins on Monday at 7:10 p.m. CT. Righthander Kyle Gibson (0-1, 8.00 ERA) starts for the Twins, looking to bounce back after being hurt by a grand slam in his last start against the Tigers. Simplified approach working for hot Garcia White Sox outfielder leads Majors in batting average By Patrick Donnelly / Special to MLB.com April 16th, 2017 MINNEAPOLIS -- The hottest hitter in baseball heated up even more on Sunday. After blitzing the Twins with a career-high four hits, Avisail Garcia is leading the Majors with a.465 batting average. Oh, and he also hit a two-run homer in the 10th inning to lift the White Sox to a 3-1 victory over the Twins. Not a bad day's work for Garcia. "I'm not trying to do too much," Garcia said. "See the ball, don't try to hit a homer or a base hit -- just try to see the ball and put the barrel on it. I'm trying to stay inside the ball. I'm learning. I've just got to keep working hard and play the game the right way." Garcia never hit higher than.257 in his past three seasons with the White Sox, but this year, the 25-year-old has reached base in every game and has six multi-hit efforts. "He's simplifying it and trying to keep his approach in a particular way, trying not to do too much," manager Rick Renteria said, echoing Garcia's thoughts. "I think he's focusing on just making good contact." In the 10th inning, Twins manager Paul Molitor turned down a chance to have reliever Ryan Pressly intentionally walk Garcia and pitch to rookie Matt Davidson with two outs and Jose Abreu on third base. Pressly pitched to Garcia, who made the Twins pay by lashing an outside fastball well beyond the right-field wall. "We all know how hot [Garcia] is. I'm not huge on walking guys to get to other people," Molitor said. "I thought we had a guy in there with the stuff to get out of it. But he obviously left a ball up that Garcia could handle. "We had to decide whether we wanted to take a shot at him or Davidson. I wanted to let it play out." Garcia's newly-simplified approach at the plate paid huge dividends. "I can guarantee you he didn't go up there thinking he's going to hit a homer," Renteria said. "He just wanted to get a pitch to hit. With a man that strong, you put a good swing on a ball and you click it, it's got a chance to go." Garcia helped jump-start a lineup that had been struggling to generate offense. The White Sox scored only five runs this weekend, but still managed to take two out of three games from the Twins. "I know we haven't scored a lot of runs," Renteria said. "Whether you win by one or two, as long as you come out on top, I think everybody's happy. But you still have to look at all the things that happened." In My Words: Holland settling in with Sox By Derek Holland / Special to MLB.com April 16th, 2017
I'll admit it was hard to turn the page in the beginning. Early on, after I signed here, there were a couple of times I still said, "Texas Rangers," when I meant to say, "Chicago White Sox." It's tough when you spend so long with one organization. Texas drafted me in 2007, and [it] did a great job making me who I am today. It's difficult to leave all of your friends, but at the same time you have to respect that it is a business. There are no hard feelings, and maybe the change of scenery will be good for me. There was a transition. The first day of Spring Training, I was kind of quiet. It's a new organization, and I wanted to feel out the guys. I didn't want to be that guy that jumps in right away. This isn't my team. I've got to respect the guys who have been here longer than me. But my teammates wanted me to be me. I give credit to guys like Todd Frazier. He said, "Be who you are." They wanted me to bring that energy every day. I like to keep guys loose. I have a personality; I do some impressions. I've been told my Harry Caray is pretty good. I like doing Arnold Schwarzenegger, and I do Kermit [the Frog] for the kids. You can't get too tight in baseball. You've got to enjoy the game and each other's company. I've been doing that since Day 2. I'm only 30, and yet it's shocking to me that I am one of the older guys on the team. This organization has a lot of young players. I want to make those guys feel comfortable; let them know that the game doesn't change from Triple-A to the big leagues. There's just more people in the stands. It's interesting that they ask me the same questions I did when I was coming up. After getting drafted in the 25th round, you always carry a chip on your shoulder. Even if you throw a perfect game, you still have to prove yourself in the next start. My goals remain the same each year: To stay healthy and pitch 200 innings. I have had some injury problems, but you have to continue to fight. I did some good work with [pitching coach] Don Cooper and [strength coach] Allen Thomas in the spring. The focus is there. I am on a good path. If you want to know more about me, you can follow me on Twitter at @Dutch_Oven45. I have more than 271,000 followers. Those are the people who make you who you are. That's what sports is all about. You also can find out more about my "60 Feet 6 Foundation." Launched in 2015, our inspiration is Briggs Berry -- a wonderful and courageous young man whom I got to know in Dallas. Even though he was battling cancer, Briggs never stopped thinking of others. In addition to spending time with patients, Briggs planned and designed a teen-life room in the hospital and worked as the patient ambassador to Children's Miracle Network. It was devastating when he died at the age of 18 in '14. Our foundation honors his memory by raising funds that support several charitable causes, including pediatric diseases. I invited Briggs' parents to come up for my first start in Chicago. I love this city. I'm a big Italian restaurant guy, and I've got quite a few places to check out here. It also feels good to be in Big Ten country. Even though I grew up in Columbus, [Ohio], I am a huge Michigan fan. I've heard a few "Go Blue" [chants] from the fans. The Texas chapter of my life was terrific, but it is over. I'm excited to be a White Sox guy now. One-hitter brings back memories for Swarzak White Sox reliever flirted with no-no while with Twins in 2011 By Patrick Donnelly / Special to MLB.com April 16th, 2017 MINNEAPOLIS -- Shortly after the last out was recorded in Saturday's 6-0 loss to the Twins, the players in the White Sox clubhouse were surely ready to forget that game and move on. But forgive Sox reliever Anthony Swarzak if it brought back a few positive memories. The White Sox managed just one hit off Minnesota starter Ervin Santana. The last time the Twins posted a one-hitter was on May 28, 2011 -- and Swarzak was Minnesota's starting pitcher. At the time, Swarzak was 25 years old and shuffling between the Twins' bullpen and rotation in his second Major League season. The Angels were visiting Target Field, and Francisco Liriano was scheduled to start the second game of the series. But he came down with a sore shoulder, and Swarzak got the spot start. "I was told that I was going to start that game at 10 o'clock the night before when I came in out of the bullpen," Swarzak recalled. "The game got over, I'm walking in and the pitching coach grabs me and says, 'You're starting tomorrow.' I said, 'All right, let's go.'"
Swarzak said he was supposed to be limited to 50-70 pitches, but he ended up throwing 105, in part because he hadn't given up a hit through seven innings. "I had a no-hitter going -- I wasn't going to let them take me out," Swarzak said. "And they didn't really want to take me out either, at that point." But Swarzak's teammates weren't faring well against Angels starter Jered Weaver. The game was still scoreless when Peter Bourjos doubled with one out in the eighth. Swarzak got the final two outs of the inning, but had to settle for a nodecision. Weaver threw nine scoreless innings, but the Twins scratched out a run in the 10th to win, 1-0. Swarzak pitched five seasons with the Twins. He then spent 2015 in Cleveland and '16 with the Yankees, pitching exclusively in relief the past two years. Swarzak signed with the White Sox in January, and he hasn't worried about his role with the club. "They told me I'm going to be a pitcher for the Chicago White Sox," Swarzak said. "That's all I cared about. I've always been more comfortable in the bullpen, but I've also never shied away from the baseball. So if the organization comes to me and tells me they want me to start, I'll do whatever they think I should do." Swarzak has made three appearances for the White Sox, pitching 3 2/3 scoreless innings. He earned the win with a scoreless inning in Thursday's 10-4 victory at Cleveland, then tossed another scoreless frame in Sunday's 3-1 win over the Twins. "He's got experience under his belt -- it doesn't look like anything overwhelms him," White Sox manager Rick Renteria said. "He goes on the hill to try to give you outs, and he's done that for us." Worth noting After Sunday's game, the White Sox announced they are returning outfielder Willy Garcia to Triple-A Charlotte with Melky Cabrera returning to the roster from paternity leave Monday. Garcia went 2-for-9 in two starts and collected his first Major League hit on Friday. Holland starts series opener in the Bronx By Patrick Donnelly / Special to MLB.com April 16th, 2017 The White Sox wrap up a nine-game road trip with a three-game series against the Yankees in New York, starting on Monday. Chicago's Derek Holland will face New York's Jordan Montgomery. The Yankees have won seven straight after completing a three-game sweep of St. Louis on Sunday night. Holland (1-1, 1.50 ERA) has posted back-to-back quality starts to begin his first season with the White Sox. The lefthander notched his first win in his last outing, tossing six scoreless innings against the Indians and allowing just one hit. Montgomery (0-0, 3.86) will be making his second Major League start. In his debut, the left-hander allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits and two walks, striking out seven, against the Rays last Wednesday. Three things to know about this game Yankees outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury is batting.444 (8-for-18) with two doubles and three walks against Holland in his career. White Sox outfielder Melky Cabrera will rejoin the team in New York on Monday after missing three games to attend the birth of his daughter, Mianna. In the last 13 years, the Yankees have won nine season series and split three against the White Sox. Last year, the teams split six games, with each club winning two of three at home. Aroldis Chapman is already taking ownership of the velocity leaderboard. His 100 mph average four-seam fastball velocity leads MLB and he has thrown the 10 fastest pitches of the season, topping out at 102.1 mph, according to Statcast. The Mets' Noah Syndergaard has the first non-chapman pitch on that list, tying for 11th fastest at 100.9 mph. White Sox top 10 prospects weekly report Colleen Kane / Chicago Tribune April 16, 2017 Dane Dunning s 13-strikeout game with Class-A Kannapolis highlights this week s White Sox top-10 prospects roundup. Here s a look at what they did last week.
Yoan Moncada, Triple-A Charlotte: Went 5-for-21 with a home run, four runs scored, an RBI, five walks and eight strikeouts in six games since April 10. Is hitting.317 with a double and two homers over 10 games this season. Lucas Giolito, Triple-A Charlotte: Gave up three earned runs on three hits with four walks and four strikeouts over four innings in his only start against Durham. Owns a 7.56 ERA in two starts. Michael Kopech, Double-A Birmingham: Gave up one earned run on one hit but walked five over 3 2/3 innings in his only start. Struck out five. Has a 3.38 ERA and 15 strikeouts over two starts. Reynaldo Lopez, Triple-A Charlotte: On April 11, he gave up four earned runs on four hits with four walks and 10 strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings against Durham. On Sunday, he gave up two earned runs on six hits with two walks and four strikeouts over six innings against Norfolk. Has a 5.02 ERA in three starts. Carson Fulmer, Triple-A Charlotte: Gave up five earned runs on eight hits with one walk and three strikeouts over five innings. Has a 5.73 ERA in two starts. Zack Collins, Class-A Winston-Salem: Went 5-for-25 with two RBIs and eight strikeouts over six games last week. Hitting.250 with four doubles, a home run, three RBIs, seven walks and 12 strikeouts over 10 games. Zack Burdi, Triple-A Charlotte: Pitched a scoreless inning with a strikeout on April 13 against Durham. But gave up three runs, two earned, in the ninth inning Sunday against Norfolk to suffer the blown save and the loss. Luis Alexander Basabe, Class-A Winston-Salem: Went 4-for-11 with two RBIs, two walks and one strikeout over three games last week. Hitting.208 with two triples and four RBIs over six games. Alec Hansen, Class-A Kannapolis: Gave up one earned run on five hits with one walk and nine strikeouts over five innings. Has a 4.15 ERA with six walks and 12 strikeouts over two starts. Dane Dunning, Class-A Kannapolis: Gave up one unearned run on three hits over eight innings in his only start against Hickory. Walked none and struck out 13. Owns a 0.64 ERA and 21 strikeouts in two starts. Avisail Garcia stays hot for White Sox with 10th-inning homer against Twins Colleen Kane / Chicago Tribune April 16, 2017 After Avisail Garcia swung at Twins right-hander Ryan Pressly's first 98-mph fastball in the 10th inning Sunday afternoon, the White Sox outfielder took a moment to talk to himself. "The first swing, I swung hard," Garcia said. "I said to myself, 'Hey, don't try to do too much. Just put the barrel on the ball, because he throws hard.' So that's what I did." Garcia sent Pressly's next pitch, another 98-mph fastball, into the right-field stands for the winning two-run homer in a 3-1 White Sox victory at Target Field. Garcia clapped his hands as he rounded first base to celebrate his fourth hit of the game, which tied a career high and reinforced just how big his hot start has been for a Sox team that heads to Yankee Stadium with a 6-5 record. In a season that might be viewed as a last shot for the 25-year-old, Garcia has gotten off to not just the best start on the team but the American League. He leads the AL with a.465 batting average and is tied with Matt Davidson for a teamhigh 10 RBIs. "He's simplifying it, and trying to keep his approach in a particular way, trying not to do too much," Sox manager Rick Renteria said. "He's focusing on making good contact. I can guarantee you he didn't go up there thinking he was going to hit a homer. He just wanted a pitch to hit. With a man that strong, you put a good swing on a ball, you attack it and you click it, it has a chance to go." The Sox were trying to rebound after Ervin Santana limited them to one hit Saturday. Garcia ended the club's hitless streak at seven innings with a second-inning single against Twins lefty Hector Santiago. But the Sox left seven runners on base in the first seven innings, including four in scoring position.
They finally broke out in the eighth after Jose Abreu was hit by a pitch and advanced on Garcia's third single. Abreu scored on Davidson's sacrifice fly when center fielder Byron Buxton's throw bounced off the mound and away from the plate to end the Sox's 18-inning scoreless streak. Garcia has reached base in all 11 games this season and already has six multi-hit games. "A hot start is good," Garcia said. "But I just don't pay attention to numbers." Before Garcia's big moment, it looked like another type of homer might define Sunday's game. In the fifth inning, Sox center fielder Jacob May charged back toward the wall on Brian Dozier's fly ball and made a leaping attempt at a catch, but the ball glanced off his glove and against the wall. As May scrambled toward the bouncing ball, Dozier sped around the bases on the way to an inside-the-park home run and a 1-0 Twins lead. Dozier sat out Saturday's game with a sore right knee, but it didn't seem to slow him as he charged around the bases, losing his helmet between second and third base. His headfirst slide into the plate beat the tag of lunging catcher Kevan Smith, who caught Leury Garcia's relay throw along the first-base line. Sox right-hander James Shields looked on in disbelief, hand on his hip, as Dozier celebrated the feat. That was the only run Shields allowed in six innings. He gave up five hits with three walks and five strikeouts, the biggest against Buxton to strand the bases loaded in the fourth. "Avi has been unbelievable," Shields said. "Our defense has been pretty good, and our pitching has been really good, so it's nice to get a series win." White Sox closer David Robertson off to sharp start Colleen Kane / Chicago Tribune April 16, 2017 David Robertson is not striving for too much this season just, you know, perfection. The White Sox closer is never afraid to be hard on himself when appropriate, and that applies to his 2016 season, when he posted a 3.47 ERA and was 37-for-44 on save opportunities. "I pitched very poorly last year," Robertson said. "I expect to be perfect out there every time, so that's what I'm striving for. I know I'm capable of being really, really good, and I want to be a weapon for this team and help us win ballgames." Robertson has not been perfect so far, but close. In five scoreless outings, he has allowed one hit, walked none and struck out 10, converting on his first three save opportunities. That included a save with a perfect 10th inning in the Sox's 3-1 victory over the Twins on Sunday. Robertson participated in the World Baseball Classic this spring, and while he's not sure if pitching in those high-intensity situations has helped his strong start, it did prepare him for the season. "He's been really sharp," manager Rick Renteria said. "His fastball, his cut is back with pretty good action. His breaking ball is very good. He's commanding the zone. He's throwing his breaking ball where he wants to." Robertson turned 32 last week, and said he is putting a greater focus on taking care of his body. "I want to feel better, so I'm trying to take care of myself better, trying to eat a little healthier," Robertson said. "I'm not getting any younger, so I might as well cut out a bunch of the snack food and candy I like to eat and replace them with salads." He said he only lost about five pounds, but that's enough to feel a difference. He likes the idea of not having as much weight fall on his left knee, which he had repaired for a torn meniscus in the offseason. "It feels great to have a cleaned-up knee," Robertson said. "It doesn't aggravate you as much." Reset button: After being one-hit by the Twins on Saturday, the Sox tried to regroup with a team dinner, which was planned before the 6-0 loss.
"We like team dinners because we get all of them together in one room with the coaches and staff, have a good time, relax, share some camaraderie away from the field," Renteria said. "It's a good time to get together and bond a little bit more on a personal level." Extra innings: The Sox optioned outfielder Willy Garcia to Triple-A Charlotte after Sunday's game and will bring back Melky Cabrera from the paternity list Monday. Garcia was 2-for-7 in his first big-league stint. Third baseman Todd Frazier missed his third game with the flu Sunday, and shortstop Tim Anderson had the day off because Renteria said he "has been pressing a little bit." Avisail Garcia shrugs off his critics through torrid start Daryl Van Schouwen / Chicago Sun Times April 16, 2017 MINNEAPOLIS If Avisail Garcia s hot start is a sign he is taking a step forward from the lukewarm performances that have marked the first few seasons of his career, he probably won t be one to gloat. Garcia, who had underachieved since the Sox acquired him as a notable prospect in a three-team trade for Jake Peavy in 2013, said he doesn t have rabbit ears when it comes to what others have said about him. I don t pay attention to what everybody says, Garcia said Sunday. I control what I can control. What people say about me, I don t pay attention. I know who I am, so just keep working hard and do what I can do for my team. All he has done for the Sox this season is hit a major-league-best.465. That was enhanced by a 4-for-5 performance, including a tiebreaking two-run home run to the opposite field against Ryan Pressly in the 10th inning, that helped the Sox earn a 3-1 victory against the Minnesota Twins. Garcia has improved his diet and is playing about 15 pounds lighter than he did last season, which he says helps him come to the park more energized than before. That s nice, manager Rick Renteria said, but the key to Garcia s hot start is a better approach at the plate. He s simplifying it and keeping his approach in a particular way where he s not trying to do too much, Renteria said. He s focusing on making good contact. I can guarantee you he didn t go up there [in the 10th] thinking he was going to hit a homer. With a man that strong, you put a good swing on a ball, you attack it and you click it, it has a chance to go. I m just trying to stay inside the ball, Garcia said. The good hitters hit to the other part of the field. That s what [Detroit Tigers star Miguel] Cabrera does. That s what I m trying to do. Garcia said he swung too hard at Pressly s first strike, then told himself to reel it in. Just put the barrel on the ball, he said to himself. Garcia hit 13 homers in 2015 and 12 in 2016, but he has tape-measure strength to compete with anyone. When you don t try to do too much, good things happen, he said. This is a crossroads season for Garcia, who has to produce at the plate to offset his unfavorable defensive metrics in right field. Hitting coach Todd Steverson said Garcia still will swing at balls out of the zone, as all hitters do. But the approach has been there, the mindset has been there, Steverson said. At the end of the day, you want to see the consistency of it over a full season. When he s going well, he s balanced, swinging at good pitches and using the whole field. I mean, he s very strong to the opposite field and center field. The Sox ended a run of 18 scoreless innings after Garcia bounced a hard single off the right-field wall in the eighth, sending Jose Abreu to third. Matt Davidson tied the score with a sacrifice fly. Abreu, Tim Anderson, Jacob May, Todd Frazier and Cody Asche all are hitting below.200, but Garcia has kept the Sox lineup afloat and their pitchers have posted a 2.71 ERA. Closer David Robertson, who earned his third save, has retired 15 of 16 batters with 10 strikeouts for a bullpen that boasts a 1.43 ERA.
And this is supposed to be a rebuilding season. I don t think they re thinking about what we are or are not in terms of titles we re given, Renteria said. The truth is, everybody just has to play the game of baseball. They re trying to do things that are baseball-driven, fundamentally doing things that keep them in ballgames. It doesn t hurt that the relief we ve had and the starts we ve had have been really, really good. So hopefully that continues. Avisail Garcia powers White Sox to extra-inning win over Twins Daryl Van Schouwen / Chicago Sun Times April 16, 2017 MINNEAPOLIS Avisail Garcia went 4-for-5 with a tiebreaking two-run homer in the 10th inning Sunday to carry the White Sox to a 3-1 victory over the Twins at Target Field. Garcia tied a career high for hits, the fourth time he has collected four, also contributing a single off the right field wall that set up Matt Davidson s go-ahead sacrifice fly in the eighth to snap a streak of 18 scoreless innings for the Sox. Anthony Swarzak, Tommy Kahnle, Nate Jones (1-0) and David Robertson (perfect ninth with two strikeouts for his third save) combined for four innings of scoreless relief after James Shields made his third straight strong start. Garcia connected against Ryan Pressly. It feels great, Garcia said. We won, and that s all that matters. I was trying to do my job but not trying to do too much. I m playing the game hard. Pressly left a fastball up and out over the plate where Garcia likes it. The first swing, I swung hard. But I said to myself, Hey, don t try to do too much. Just put the barrel on the ball, because he throws hard, Garcia said. So that s what I did. I just tried to pull the swing and hit the ball. Three starts into the season and Shields, the much maligned right-hander who came from the Padres in a questionable trade last June, is looking like the accomplished pitcher the Sox thought they were getting when they made the deal. Shields six-inning performance was the third good outing in as many starts for the 35-year-old who ranks first in the major leagues in innings and starts since 2007. After going 6-19 with a dreadful 5.85 ERA between two teams last season, Shields is off to a crisp start with a 1.62 ERA. The only run he allowed was an inside the park homer by Brian Dozier leading off the fifth, one of nine hits against him all season over 16 2/3 innings. Using a slow curve that read as low as 69 mph on the scoreboard gun, Shields struck out five and walked three. If you look at it, he s re-inventing himself, manager Rick Renteria said. The Sox (6-5) took two of three from the defending AL champion Indians and two of three from the Twins (7-5). I don t think they re thinking about what we are or are not in terms of titles we re given, Renteria said. The truth is everybody just has to play the game of baseball. They re trying to do things that are baseball-driven, fundamentally doing things that keep them in ballgames. It doesn t hurt that the relief [pitching] we ve had and the starts we have had have been really, really good. So hopefully that continues. Third and strong: James Shields hasn t had a bad start yet Daryl Van Schouwen / Chicago Sun Times April 16, 2017 MINNEAPOLIS Three starts into the season, and James Shields, the much maligned right-hander who came from the Padres in a questionable trade last June, is looking like the accomplished pitcher the Sox thought they got when they made the deal. Shields six-inning performance Sunday was the third good outing in as many starts for the 35-year-old who ranks first in the major leagues in innings and starts since 2007. After going 6-19 with a dreadful 5.85 ERA between two teams last season, Shields is making quality starts again, posting a 1.62 ERA with a 1-0 record and two no-decisions. The only run he allowed was an inside-the-park homer by Brian Dozier leading off the fifth, one of nine hits against him all season in 16 innings. He struck out five and walked three.
Just trying to be as aggressive as I possibly can, trying to mix up speeds, get them off balance a little bit, Shields said. We have a long season to go. I m off to a good start, but we have a lot of work to do. Shields has featured a slow curve more than usual this year. He dropped in a 69 mph pitch for a strikeout of Miguel Sano in the first and got the slugger to look at another slow curve for strike three in the third. The scoreboard described it as an eephus pitch. Yeah, I did see that, Shields said, smiling. It s kind of funny. I ve never seen that before. Just a slower curveball. I ve kind of messed around with it a little bit. I feel like I have a pretty good feel for it, so I ve been throwing it a little more. It s not like a go-to pitch, but it s been effective and I ve been able to get them off balance and change speeds a little more than anything. Anderson gets day off Manager Rick Renteria gave struggling shortstop Tim -Anderson a mental health day. Just to let him kind of sit back and watch the ballgame a little bit, Renteria said. Kind of take a breath. That s it. He ll be back in there tomorrow. Anderson, who signed a six-year, $25 million extension during spring training, is 6-for-43 (.140), including two hits in his last 21 at-bats. One was a homer leading off the Sox 10-4 win against the Indians on Thursday. He s been pressing a little, Renteria said. Take a step back, relax, regroup. Frazier still ailing Todd Frazier also was out of the lineup, a day after he left in the fourth inning with recurring flu-like symptoms. Frazier had missed two games in Cleveland because he was sick. He s still a little dehydrated, so we re letting him rest and recover, Renteria said. Matt Davidson played third and hit a game-tying sacrifice fly for his 10th RBI and singled twice, raising his average to.370. Melky returns Melky Cabrera will rejoin the team in New York on Monday after three days on the paternity list. Willy Garcia was sent back to Class AAA Charlotte. Avisail Garcia s 10 th -inning homer leads White Sox over Twins By Associated Press April 16, 2017 MINNEAPOLIS (AP) With a runner at third and two outs in the 10th inning, Avisail Garcia swung hard and missed on the first pitch he saw against Minnesota reliever Ryan Pressly. Garcia stepped out of the box, collected himself and thought about what's worked this season: just put the bat on the ball. Garcia had a career-high four hits, including an opposite-field, two-run homer in the 10th that gave the Chicago White Sox a 3-1 win over the Twins on Sunday. "I said to myself, `Hey, don't try to do too much,'" Garcia said. "Just put the barrel on the ball because he throws hard. That's what I do. I just tried to put a good swing, see the ball and hit it." Leury Garcia doubled off Pressly (0-2) leading off the 10th and advanced on Tyler Saladino's sacrifice. Jose Abreu struck out and Garcia drove a high fastball over the seats and into the right field plaza. "It's a situation where we all know how hot he is, but I'm not huge on walking guys to get to other people and I feel my guy's got the stuff to get him out with," Minnesota manager Paul Molitor said. "Obviously, he left the ball up where he could handle it. Tough one to swallow."
Nate Jones (1-0) struck out two in a perfect ninth, and David Robertson fanned his first two batters in a 1-2-3 10th for his third save in three chances. Garcia entered the year hitting.262 through five major league seasons, but the 6-foot-4 Venezuelan increased his leagueleading average to.465. "I think he's focusing on just making good contact," White Sox manager Rick Renteria said. "I can guarantee you he didn't go up there thinking he was going to hit a homer. He just wanted to get a pitch to hit. With a man that strong, you put a good swing on a ball and you click it, it's got a chance to go." DOZIER'S RUN Brian Dozier hit an inside-the-park home run for the Twins, the first of his career and the first for a Minnesota player since Byron Buxton on Oct. 2, 2016 in Chicago. A day after sitting out to due to right knee swelling, Dozier raced around the bases after his fifth-inning drive deflected off center fielder Jacob May's glove. EXCELLENT EEPHUS White Sox starter James Shields yielded five hits and three walks in six innings for his third consecutive strong start this season. The most curious aspect of Shields' outing was the slow breaking ball he was throwing. He had a few pitches register in the high 60s mph, and the stadium's video board labeled the offerings Eephus pitches. "It's kind of funny; I've never seen that before," Shields said. "Just a slower curveball. I've kind of messed around with it a little bit. I feel like I've got a pretty good feel for it, so I've been throwing it a little bit more than normal." SANTIAGO AGAINST THE SOX Twins' starter Hector Santiago gave up six hits in seven innings, walked none and struck out six. Santiago is 5-1 against Chicago, where he pitched the first three years of his career after being drafted there in 2006. He's allowed six earned runs in 38 2/3 innings against the White Sox. TRAINER'S ROOM White Sox: 3B Todd Frazier did not play because of flu-like symptoms. Renteria said Frazier has been feeling dehydrated. He missed two games last week, and returned, leaving Saturday's game early with recurrence of the symptoms. Twins: INF Ehire Adrianza (right oblique strain) will report to Fort Myers, Florida, to begin playing in extended spring training games on Monday.... LHP Ryan O'Rourke (left forearm strain) has been throwing at 60 feet and his next step will be to toss from 90 feet. UP NEXT White Sox: Chicago's three-city trip ends in New York, where LHP Derek Holland (1-1, 1.50 ERA) is to start Monday against the Yankees. Holland allowed one hit in six scoreless innings in his last outing. Twins: RHP Kyle Gibson (0-1, 8.00) starts Monday as Minnesota opens a four-game home series against Cleveland. Gibson surrendered five runs in four innings in a loss to Detroit last week.