Sale 8-0 after CG as White Sox roll in Bronx

May 14th, 2016

NEW YORK -- Chris Sale became the first White Sox pitcher since 2005 to win each of his first eight starts of the season, spinning a dominant complete-game outing in a 7-1 victory over the Yankees on Friday night at Yankee Stadium.
Sale limited the Bombers to just Chase Headley's second-inning homer, scattering six hits while walking none and striking out six as he went the distance for the second time this year. Chicago provided plenty of support as Sale became baseball's first eight-game winner, thumping Luis Severino for seven runs in 2 2/3 innings.
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"You can't win without scoring runs," Sale said. "At the end of the day, starting pitching and defense wins games, but you've still got to score some runs. I'm putting my guys in the position I needed 'em, and they came [through]."

Jose Abreu, Adam Eaton and Jimmy Rollins combined to drive in six runs for the White Sox. Abreu had a two-run single, Eaton stroked a two-run double and Rollins slugged a long two-run homer off Severino, who left the game with what an MRI revealed to be a right triceps strain. He will be placed on the 15-day disabled list. 

What do you call an unbeatable Sale? Chris
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Two-out thunder:Brett Lawrie and Avisail Garcia grounded out to begin what looked like a routine third inning. But Alex Avila singled to left, Austin Jackson walked, Eaton doubled to left-center -- on a drive center fielder Aaron Hicks didn't get a good read on -- and Rollins launched his homer to right. That's four runs on three hits, ending Severino's night.

"Well, I know it looked easy and comfortable as far as the way we were able to put together some at-bats against [Severino], but he's just not a comfortable at-bat whatsoever," said Avila, who doubled home the first run and finished with two hits. "His fastball gets on you quick, and you've got to be ready to hit. "

Severino exits early: Severino walked off the field with head athletic trainer Steve Donohue after surrendering Rollins' homer, providing a possible explanation for a rough evening that swelled his ERA to 7.46. The Yankees announced that Severino will not pick up a baseball for five to seven days because of the right triceps strain, with a corresponding roster move to be announced on Saturday. More >
"He's kind of a bulldog out there," catcher Austin Romine said. "He's not really going to give in or say that he wants to come out. He's going to keep pitching when he wants to pitch. He's going to keep grinding. That's what he did. It comes down to the execution of pitches. We were kind of missing."

Leading the way: Eaton reached base four times, via two singles, a double and a hit by pitch two pitches into the game, while scoring once and driving in two. Eaton has gone 50 consecutive plate appearances without a strikeout and saved yet another run defensively in the first by snaring a Mark Teixeira line drive to right-center with Hicks on second and two outs.

"Yeah, you know, talking to you guys every other day in the first month of the season, you guys were letting us know it wasn't going all that well," said a smiling Eaton of the early offensive struggles for the White Sox. "We knew and had confidence in our offense and that our offense was going to come around eventually."
Goody's got it: The Yankees squeezed some needed distance out of right-hander Nick Goody, who entered after Severino's injury and held Chicago to one hit over 3 1/3 innings, with three strikeouts. Chasen Shreve followed with two scoreless frames. It was Goody's 12th career big league appearance and fifth of this year. Manager Joe Girardi had said that the Yankees did not have long reliever Phil Coke available on Friday because Coke threw 52 pitches in relief on Wednesday against Kansas City.

"They did a great job tonight," Girardi said. "Nick got us 10 outs. Shrever got us six outs. They saved us from using the guys in the back end, so they did a really nice job." More >

QUOTABLE
"It's like the Coliseum of baseball. Just the history that comes with this place, organization, you're always going to be amped up a little bit when the Yankees come to town or especially pitching here. Most championships, yada, yada, the list goes on. You try to be on your 'A' game against these guys." -- Sale, who is 4-1 with a 1.17 ERA lifetime against the Yankees, covering 10 starts and seven games

"He's playing with guys he knows he doesn't have to do everything. There's confidence in knowing he doesn't have to strike everybody out." -- Ventura, on Sale's successful '16 approach
Sale tosses complete game, is totally impervious to Gatorade shower
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
Sale became the first White Sox pitcher to open a season 8-0 in his first eight starts since Jon Garland in '05. The White Sox went on to win the World Series that season.
The White Sox congratulated Eaton for scoring by cradling him like a baby
EATON LOVES NEW YORK
Eaton's three-hit performance Friday gives him a .474 average (9-for-19) in five career games at Yankee Stadium. He has multiple hits in eight of his 12 career games vs. the Yankees.
WHAT'S NEXT
White Sox:
Jose Quintana tries to continue the one-two punch with Sale at the top of the White Sox rotation as he takes the mound against the Yankees on Saturday afternoon at 12:05 CT. The one-time Yankees prospect is 4-0 with a 0.64 ERA and 24 strikeouts over his last four starts, covering 28 innings.
Yankees: Right-hander Ivan Nova (1-1, 4.34 ERA) will make his second start of the season on Saturday at 1:05 ET as the Yankees host the White Sox for the second game of the three-game weekend series. Filling in while CC Sabathia is on the disabled list, Nova held the Royals to a run on six hits over 4 2/3 innings on Monday, allowing just a solo homer to Alex Gordon.
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