Trio of solo HRs sink Santiago, White Sox

May 22nd, 2018

CHICAGO -- Though did not begin the season in the starting rotation, he has filled in capably for spot starts and now for the demoted . Santiago pitched well again Monday in his fourth start of the year, but served up one too many homers.
The White Sox lost yet another one-run game as the Orioles clubbed three solo home runs to sink Chicago, 3-2. Santiago gave up homers in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings, and the White Sox couldn't capitalize on their chances to complete a comeback.
"As long as it's not a three-run homer and just solo homers," Santiago said. "The pitch to [designated hitter Mark] Trumbo was good, I was trying to go down and in, I got it in there. He just dropped the barrel to it. The other two were two mistakes … two missed pitches and they got both of them."
Not even a ninth-inning rally could save the White Sox. After walked and singled with one out, struck out swinging, leading to an intentional walk to that loaded the bases. , who entered for on defense in the top of the ninth, struck out swinging to end the game against Orioles closer .

"Sitting on the bench all night, I know it's tough for him to go out there, especially with the game on the line like that," Brach said. "So I went right at him with fastballs and luckily, I was able to get the last one by him."
Prior to Sanchez's strikeout, the White Sox attempted to have him squeeze bunt Engel home from third. But Sanchez foul bunted the 0-1 pitch, leaving him vulnerable to the splitter that eventually struck him out.
"I actually thought, to be honest, 'I'd like to get this run across the board. I'd like to tie this ballgame and keep us going,'" manager Rick Renteria said. "Obviously, we didn't get it across. We've had a tough time, in moments, getting a run across with a runner on third."
Meanwhile, the Manny Machado show debuted in Chicago with a bang. Following Machado's pregame media season, in which a horde of reporters peppered him with all sorts of Cubs and White Sox-related questions, the Orioles' shortstop opened the scoring Monday by slugging one of the three O's homers, his 15th of the year.

The long ball was Machado's hardest hit ball of the season at 112.6 mph, per Statcast™. Machado made his mark on defense too, making a perfect relay throw to nab Sanchez at the plate as he tried to score from first on Abreu's fifth-inning double. That double did, however, bring home Moncada for Chicago's first run.
Machado gave the White Sox enough of a scare with his fourth-inning homer that Renteria opted to intentionally walk the shortstop in the sixth with nobody on base and one out.
"We wanted to make sure that he didn't quick-point us again," Renteria said. "It was that simple. Another run, another chance to hit a ball out of the ballpark. He's been squaring up the ball pretty good."
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Obtuse Engel: With one out in the fifth, Engel lined a single to left field off Cashner. The ball appeared to go deep enough into the corner, and Engel, with his elite speed, turned on the jets to second base. But Orioles outfielder cut off the ball nicely and threw out Engel, erasing the potential baserunner. The out proved key in the inning, as the succeeding three hitters all reached base, but the White Sox only managed one run.

"That was not a good play," Renteria said. "Aggressiveness and recklessness are two different things. I think that was a play in which he truly didn't give himself a chance to recognize what was developing at the time. That's all."
SOUND SMART
The White Sox have struggled mightily in one-run games so far this season. Chicago is 4-12 in such contests, with its 12 losses tied with the Rays for the most in baseball.
HE SAID IT
"For the young guys coming up, so they can know how to play the game hard, 27 outs. Who knows if he runs down there and maybe distracts the first baseman and the ball falls in. You never know. I understand where he comes from. It's a tough situation because Castillo is trying to get a run in there, he's trying to get a fly ball in the outfield somewhere and gets beat and gets the pop fly. So he's mad at himself." -- Santiago, on catcher being pulled after not running out a pop-up in the sixth inning
UP NEXT
The White Sox continue their four-game series with the Orioles on Tuesday at 7:10 p.m. CT and send staff veteran (1-4, 4.88 ERA) to the mound. Shields tossed one of his best outings of the year last time out, giving up just one run in 7 1/3 innings. He will oppose Baltimore righty (3-3, 3.88).