Shields solid in 400th start, but lead slips away

NEW YORK -- As James Shields was talking to the media following the White Sox 5-4 walk-off loss to the Yankees on Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium, right fielder Avisaíl García walked by and gave him a pat on the back.
It was a hang with 'em sort of gesture, as Shields pitched well enough to win in sweltering conditions featuring a 96-degree first-pitch temperature. But the bullpen couldn't hold a 4-2 lead, and in the process, the four-game winning streak for the White Sox (52-80) came to an end.
Shields' start actually ended the same way every road start since Opening Day has gone for the right-hander -- without a victory. He allowed two runs on four hits in 5 2/3 innings, as Shields became the 134th pitcher in Major League history to reach 400 starts. Seattle's Félix Hernández joined him in that exclusive club later Tuesday evening.
"Yeah, I mean, I'm pretty proud of that. I never really thought about it until before this season," said Shields of the 400 starts. "I knew I was going to have a chance to hit it as long as I stayed healthy all year. I was able to hit it. I'm just proud of the hard work I've put in my entire career, and to be able to get to 400 is pretty special."
New York won the game via Neil Walker's pinch-hit home run in the ninth. It came with one out and on the first pitch from Dylan Covey (4-12), who was making his third relief appearance after 17 starts this season. White Sox manager Rick Renteria doesn't believe the adjustment to the bullpen has been a tough one for the right-hander despite Tuesday's outcome.

"You need to get outs. It just happens to be the ball went out of the ballpark to end the game. You still have to get outs," Renteria said. "That's the one thing that we try to make sure pitchers understand. Outs are outs, regardless of the inning.
"Everybody makes it more dependent on the situation, the leverage. You're going to go in there and hopefully focus on trying to execute, and I think dealing with the inning for him, I don't think he was thinking about it. I think he was trying to make a pitch and he didn't make it. To be honest, that was it."
Through the top of the sixth inning, the Yankees had scored two runs on four hits while committing five errors over the first two games of this series. But they quickly sliced into a 4-0 deficit via Miguel Andújar's two-run home run off a Shields sinker that caught too much of the plate with two outs in the bottom half of the frame.
The Yankees tied the score in the eighth when Giancarlo Stanton singled off Juan Minaya and Aaron Hicks crushed a two-run homer to right. The four-run lead was built by the White Sox off Lance Lynn on a Garcia RBI double in the fifth, and then three more scored in the sixth. All three runs in the sixth came with two outs, courtesy of Yolmer Sánchez's RBI single up the middle and Nicky Delmonico's two-run single to left.

It wasn't enough to end this prolonged road winless streak for Shields, who ranks third in the Majors with 176 1/3 innings pitched.
"Unfortunately, my record is not really showing how I've pitched this year, but overall I'm really pleased with my season," Shields said. "Sometimes that happens. So, I've been grinding all year. I'm going as deep as I can every single game."
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Anderson leaves early:Tim Anderson was replaced by José Rondón in the ninth inning after Anderson and Delmonico collided chasing a Greg Bird popup with a runner on second and two outs in the eighth. Anderson appeared to call for the ball all the way, but Delmonico slid into him at the last second, causing Anderson to trip over him.
The White Sox listed Anderson as day to day with a bruised left ankle.

"Looked like I think a little bump on his ankle. He was walking. He developed a little lump on there. I'm assuming he'll be fine," Renteria said. "He was trying to call it and then Nicky tried to slide underneath him. When he slid underneath him, it looked like he clipped him on his ankle. That was it."
SOUND SMART
Sanchez has reached base in a career-high 16 straight games.

HE SAID IT
"We've been playing really good baseball over the last month really, putting together some series wins. That's a game we can't let go right there. That's a learning process for these guys, and situational pitching is very important in this game. We have to do a better job of that." -- Shields
UP NEXT
Right-hander Reynaldo López is scheduled to make his 27th start of the season, 15th on the road and second vs. the Yankees in Wednesday's series finale, with a first pitch of 6:05 p.m. CT at Yankee Stadium. CC Sabathia, who is 19-6 lifetime against the White Sox, starts for the Yankees. Lopez is 0-4 with a 6.70 ERA in his past nine starts and has received a no-decision in each of his last five outings.