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 All around him, Sale's teammates were marveling at something else.
Chris Sale.
"Every time he's out there, we enjoy it," second baseman Carlos
Sanchez said with a smile after Sale struck out 14 batters in the
White Sox's 11-4 win over the Mariners. "It's like an exhibition
(game) for us. He's one of the best in the game, and I'm glad to be
with him."
Sale continued to pile up strikeouts Friday night, when he recorded
his 12th double-digit strikeout game of the season and the 30th of
his career. His 29 strikeouts in back-to-back starts are a career
high.
He easily outdueled Seattle starter Felix Hernandez, who struggled
for the fourth time in five starts. Sale (12-7) allowed three runs,
all of them coming on the Trumbo homer in the seventh, on four hits
and one walk over seven innings.
Sale has 222 strikeouts on the season, the most in the American
League and four short of his career high for a season. He struck out
15 on Sunday in a 3-1 win over the Chicago Cubs.
It's become a pretty common theme for Sale, even though all of his
teammates don't sit back and enjoy the experience quite as much as
Sanchez does.
"It's more stressful than (people) think it is," catcher Tyler
Flowers said of being behind the plate with Sale pitching. "It's a
lot of responsibility, but it's a lot of fun. You see how hard it is
to hit him; sometimes it's hard to catch him, too. It's a
challenge."
Sanchez drove in four runs as the White Sox posted their highest
single-game run total since April 18.
Sanchez's two-run double in the sixth inning gave the White Sox a
4-0 lead on Hernandez, but Trumbo closed the gap to 4-3 in the
seventh.
Chicago (57-63) erupted for four runs off the Seattle bullpen in the
eighth, effectively ending the threat. Seattle reliever Rob
Rasmussen issued back-to-back walks with the bases loaded, and then
White Sox third baseman Tyler Saladino delivered a two-run single to
put Chicago ahead 8-3.
Hernandez (14-8) continued his late-season fade, allowing four runs
on nine hits over six innings. His season ERA has swelled from 2.69
to 3.74 since July 29.
"I felt really good," Hernandez said. "I just made one mistake (on a
sixth-inning pitch that Sanchez roped for the two-run double)."
The first batter Sale faced, Seattle shortstop Ketel Marte, was
awarded a double on a fly ball that bounced off the glove of Chicago
right fielder Avisail Garcia. That ruling began to loom large when
Sale made it through six innings without giving up another hit.
However, the Mariners (56-66) ended the controversial-one-hitter
talk by opening the seventh with back-to-back singles from right
fielder Nelson Cruz and second baseman Robinson Cano to set the
table for Trumbo's home run.
"It was a changeup," Sale said of the pitch Trumbo hit over the
fence in dead center field. "I went to it one too many times, and he
put a good swing on it. He's a big man, and that's what he does.
I've seen him do that before."
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Cruz extended his streak of games reaching base to 31. He added a
solo homer, his 37th of the season, off Chicago reliever Zach Duke
in the bottom of the ninth.
Seattle manager Lloyd McClendon got tossed from the game during a
rough top of the eighth for his team. After going out to the mound
to make his third pitching change of the inning, McClendon threw a
few words toward plate umpire Quinn Wolcott, who ejected him.
Sanchez went 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles. Saladino added three
hits on a night when the White Sox piled up 16 hits, one short of
their season high.
Designated hitter Jose Abreu gave Chicago a 1-0 lead with a no-out,
RBI double in the fourth inning. Abreu was sacrificed to third base
but ended up getting stranded there when Hernandez recorded his
first two strikeouts of the game on back-to-back at-bats.
Hernandez gave up three singles to the first four batters he faced
in the fifth, with center fielder Adam Eaton's one-out shot up the
middle resulting in an RBI and a 2-0 White Sox lead. Sanchez
delivered his two-run double one inning later, and that was enough
for Sale.
"He's a tough guy, a tough pitcher," Hernandez said after facing
Sale for the first time in his career. "He's one of the best lefties
out there, and I knew it was going to be a tough night. I have to do
better than I did tonight."
NOTES: White Sox 1B Adam LaRoche was back in the lineup Friday, one
day after going 2-for-4. LaRoche struggled as Chicago's designated
hitter this season, resulting in a three-game benching before his
breakthrough Thursday. He went 1-for-5 with three strikeouts Friday.
... The Mariners placed LHP Joe Beimel (posterior inflammation in
left shoulder) on the 15-day disabled list. The 38-year-old veteran
struggled recently, giving up 10 earned runs in two innings during
his past five appearances. LHP Rob Rasmussen was recalled from
Triple-A Tacoma to take Beimel's spot in the bullpen. ... White Sox
RHP Daniel Webb (back strain) began a rehab assignment with Triple-A
Charlotte, throwing a scoreless inning Friday.
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