Wise homers as White Sox win in Danks' return
Left-hander allows one run on homer in two innings in Spring Training debut
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Monday's 6-2 White Sox victory over the Giants at Camelback Ranch featured three starting pitchers who figure to be on their respective team's Opening Day roster.
At least, that's what the White Sox and John Danks hope.
But even with Danks making his Cactus League debut as the next major step in his rehab program from Aug. 6 arthroscopic surgery and Ryan Vogelsong and Matt Cain both pitching for the Giants, it was Dewayne Wise who delivered the game-deciding hit and temporarily stole the headlines. Wise, who played right field and finished with two hits, hit an opposite-field, three-run homer off of reliever Josh Osich to cap off a four-run fourth inning.
Wise's drive down the line followed Jeff Keppinger's single and stolen base, a walk to Adam Dunn and Paul Konerko's run-scoring single that brought an end to Vogelsong's afternoon. Vogelsong, who will join Team USA for the World Baseball Classic, allowed three runs on four hits over three-plus innings, fanning three and walking one.
Keppinger, making his second start of the spring at third base and his first of back-to-back starts per manager Robin Ventura's comments from a few days ago, finished with three singles from the third spot in the order before being replaced by Conor Gillaspie.
Cain followed Vogelsong and Osich to the mound, giving up two runs on five hits, striking out one in three innings. White Sox relievers had their punchout pitch working in the later innings, as Donnie Veal and Simon Castro combined to fan five straight over the fifth and sixth and eight of nine going into the seventh.
Danks, meanwhile, threw 27 of his 35 pitches for strikes and gave up two hits in his two-plus innings. Joaquin Arias' long home run in the first accounted for the Giants' only run against Danks.
Up next: Gavin Floyd becomes the fifth and final member of the White Sox regular rotation to take to the mound Tuesday at 2:05 p.m. CT at Camelback Ranch, in a game that will be featured on an exclusive whitesox.com webcast. Floyd will be pitching against Team USA in an exhibition before it takes part in the World Baseball Classic, as will Matt Thornton and Addison Reed among the scheduled relievers. It will be Thornton's 2013 debut in the Cactus League.