CHICAGO -- Carlos Rodon had a slightly wild night during the Angels' 5-2 victory over the White Sox (56-85) on Friday at a blustery Guaranteed Rate Field.
Wild, as in the third inning alone, the White Sox southpaw threw 21 pitches and only six for strikes. The Angels scored four in that frame and handed Rodon his second straight loss after he hadn't dropped a decision since June 30. Rodon allowed four runs on six hits over 4 2/3 innings, marking the first time in 16 starts this season he hasn't lasted at least five, and struck out four against five walks.
Even in the pregame bullpen session, Rodon knew there was trouble ahead.
"Yeah, just no command," Rodon said. "Down in the bullpen [I] didn't feel good. Usually you try to clear that. Just trying to get out there and grind, man. Find the zone and try to go deep for the boys. But it didn't happen today.
"The first inning went well and I tried to build off of that. Just didn't happen. I wish the whole game went that way. Just no feel for [anything]. It was horse [bleep]."
Shohei Ohtani delivered the most powerful punch, launching a three-run homer on a 2-0 pitch in that third inning after Rodon walked Kole Calhoun and David Fletcher on eight pitches to start the frame. Ohtani's blast barely eluded a leaping effort by center fielder Adam Engel, who lost his glove over the fence in the process.
"I thought it was going to be close. I didn't think it was going to get out," said Rodon of Ohtani's home run. "Big strong guy, got the barrel of the bat on it and Adam made a good run at it. He's made catches like that before. You just can't have them all."
Angels starter Felix Pena earned the victory by allowing two runs over seven innings. He struck out six without issuing a free pass.
It was an overall rough day for the White Sox. The team found out prior to the game that Michael Kopech, the No. 13 prospect overall per MLB Pipeline, had a significant tear of his ulnar collateral ligament, and with Tommy John surgery recommended, he most likely would be lost until Spring Training 2020.
Class A Winston-Salem was eliminated from the Carolina League playoffs, while Class A Kannapolis was knocked out of the South Atlantic League postseason via a Spencer Howard no-hitter for Lakewood. The evening culminated with the rough outing from Rodon, who has been one of the steadier pitchers in the game since the start of July.
"He tried to find his rhythm. He was grinding, trying to get into it, but the homer by Ohtani put him in a little bit of a pickle," White Sox manager Rick Renteria said. "Once he started to get a few more outs, we extended him. When we took him out it was just a matter of trying to keep us in the ballgame."
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Garcia is back: After missing four games due to right knee soreness, Avisail Garcia returned with authority as the White Sox designated hitter. He hit a home run leading off the second against Pena, giving Garcia 16 for the season, and was also hit by a pitch, drew a walk and singled.
"Listen, we're going to continue to use him and see if he's comfortable enough to manage the discomfort," Renteria said. "He wants to play. We're going to have to be very mindful of how he's doing and give him an opportunity to kind of recover a little bit. I'll talk to him tonight, talk to him tomorrow to see how he's feeling.
"He's going to have good days and bad days like everybody. It's just the normal wear and tear of the body. We'll maybe do it in the outfield one game and then back to DH. I have to get a feel for how he's feeling tomorrow and then I'll continue to proceed that way.''
HE SAID IT
"That's tough, man. Luckily he's young. He's 22 and the kid works really hard. So, he'll be back strong. Just tough news. Tough break when you first get called up. It happens. You just gotta roll with it." -- Rodon, on Kopech
UP NEXT
Right-hander James Shields (6-15, 4.39 ERA) is scheduled to make his 30th start of the season and second overall against the Angels with a 6:10 p.m. CT first pitch scheduled for Saturday at Guaranteed Rate Field. Matthew Shoemaker takes the mound for the Angels. Shields has worked at least six innings in 23 of his 29 starts this season. He is 5-5 with a 2.71 ERA and .204 opponents' average over his last 13 home starts.