Cubs-White Sox rained out in 3rd inning

[May 29, 2013]  CHICAGO (AP) -- The White Sox got the most out of this rainout.

They found out ace Chris Sale is just fine.

The left-hander was back on the mound after missing his last start due to tendinitis in his left shoulder and consistently reached 95 mph on the radar in a game that was postponed Tuesday night after three innings.

"It felt good to get back out there," Sale said. "I wish it would have went a little bit longer, but you can't control those things. My arm felt strong, felt good."

Sale gave up three hits, including Scott Hairston's double and a two-run homer by Wellington Castillo in the second. He walked none and had one strikeout.

White Sox manager Robin Ventura liked what he saw from Sale.

"He said he felt fine," Ventura said. "We'll find out later to the extent."

Sale's next scheduled start is Sunday at Oakland, but with Tuesday's brief outing, he could be moved up to Saturday's game.

"In a day or two, we'll see what we do," White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper said. "But right now, we haven't decided."

When asked, Sale lobbied for sooner rather than later.

"I'm game for anything," he said. "I pretty much look at this as kind of an extended bullpen. I don't think I threw but 40 (37 to be exact) pitches. I should be able to bounce back pretty quick."

Added Cooper: "He gave up a couple of runs, but he's still fine."

Sale entered the game with 23 consecutive scoreless innings, which remains intact due to the rainout. It's the longest stint by a White Sox pitcher since 2010, when reliever J.J. Putz pitched 27 scoreless innings. As for White Sox starting pitchers, Mark Buehrle went 24 2-3 innings in 2001 without allowing a run.

Sale, who is on a four-game winning streak, is 5-2 with a 2.53 ERA.

Cubs manager Dale Sveum said his team had been looking forward to facing Sale Tuesday.

"You hate to waste any time when you get up 2-0 against a pitcher like Sale and hopefully you hang on," Sveum said. "If you score two and hopefully a couple more like that, then you've done your share off a guy like that. It's too bad the game had to be canceled that quick, but we knew that rain was coming."

The series shifts to Wrigley Field for a pair of afternoon games (1:20 pm) on Wednesday and Thursday.

The scheduled pitchers remain the same for the White Sox, with John Danks (0-0, 4.50) facing the Cubs' Scott Feldman (4-4, 2.80) on Wednesday, and Jake Peavy (6-2, 2.97) against the Cubs' Travis Wood (4-3, 2.73) on Thursday.

But Cooper added, "That may change tomorrow after we sleep on it."

NOTES: It was the White Sox's third postponement at home this year. ... Asked whether the teams might do a day-night doubleheader at Wrigley Field and then U.S. Cellular, Ventura said, "If something happens the next couple of days (with another possible rainout). You never know what's going to happen. It could happen. It's happened at other places. It wouldn't be out of the question." . Cubs right-hander Edwin Jackson entered the game with a 1-7 record and an ERA of 6.11. He pitched 2 1-3 innings, allowing just one single, while striking out three. ... Prior to the rainout, the White Sox had gone 11 1-3 innings without scoring against the Cubs, while managing only three hits. . The White Sox have won eight of the last 12 meetings with the Cubs, and lead the overall series 49-42. . Coming into Tuesday's game, Cubs pitchers were leading the Major Leagues in a unique category: RBIs, with 15. . The game was called so quickly that an official attendance number was never announced.

[Associated Press]

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