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 Led by their talented rookie left-hander and good work from the
bullpen, the White Sox beat the Seattle Mariners 4-2 to win the
opener of a four-game weekend series.
Rodon (6-5) earned the win after striking out five and allowing just
two runs on three hits and three walks in six-plus innings. He also
got some help from four Chicago relievers who combined to throw
three scoreless innings, capped by closer David Robertson working
the ninth for his 27th save.
"I just threw well tonight and Tyler (Flowers) called a great game,
and all around we played baseball pretty well tonight," said Rodon,
who is 2-1 with a 1.61 ERA in his past four starts. "I've just
learned how to pitch a little more (this season). I'll just put it
that way. I'm just having fun being a good teammate and just
learning the little things."
Adam Eaton, the White Sox's center fielder and leadoff hitter, went
3-for-3, reached base safely in all four plate appearances and
scored three runs.
Designated hitter Avisail Garcia went 1-for-3 with two RBIs, right
fielder Trayce Thompson went 2-for-4 with an RBI and two doubles,
and first baseman Jose Abreu finished 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run.
"Adam getting on base as much as he did was very important for us to
get on the board and continue to add on runs," White Sox manager
Robin Ventura said. "Him getting on and just creating havoc like
that is very important for us. We're always a better team when he's
on there running around the bases."
Left fielder Franklin Gutierrez hit a two-run home run to lead
Seattle, which left seven runners on base and finished 0-for-6 with
runners in scoring position.
"We had opportunities early and didn't take advantage of them,"
Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon said. "We had opportunities
throughout the game and didn't take advantage of them, with second
and third and nobody out.
Left-hander Roenis Elias (4-7) started and took the loss for Seattle
(59-69), giving up four runs, three earned, in 6 2/3 innings in his
first start since being recalled Sunday from Triple-A Tacoma.
Offensive production was more troublesome for the visitors. The
Mariners didn't score until the seventh, when they broke through
with two runs off Rodon to cut their deficit to 4-2.
Second baseman Robinson Cano walked to start the inning, and
Gutierrez followed with a two-run homer off a full-count fastball by
Rodon.
That was the last pitch for Rodon, whod cruised through the previous
five innings. Chicago managed to escape the inning still leading by
two runs, but not before pinch hitter Seth Smith hit a double off
left-hander Zach Duke to put runners at second and third with no
outs.
Duke got out of it unscathed by retiring the next three hitters in a
row on a pair of strikeouts and a fly out.
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Seattle again put runners at second and third in the eighth, this
time with one out, but couldn't come up with a clutch hit off
right-hander Nate Jones.
The back-to-back strikeouts for the first two outs in the seventh
irked McClendon the most. He felt third baseman Brad Miller and
catcher Mike Zunino helped Duke by swinging at pitches outside the
strike zone.
"If we would've went up without a bat, we probably would've had a
run in and the bases loaded," McClendon said. "That's tough."
Rodon's only other trouble happened in the first, when he issued
back-to-back walks to load the bases. After a mound visit by White
Sox pitching coach Don Cooper, Rodon wiggled out of it by striking
out first baseman Mark Trumbo for the third out. Rodon then settled
into a rhythm and retired 14 of the Mariners' next 15 hitters.
Meanwhile, the White Sox built a 3-0 lead by manufacturing a run in
the first and scoring twice more in the third on two doubles and a
single.
Eaton and Abreu, who sparked the first two rallies, did it again in
the fifth to make it 4-0. Eaton was hit by a pitch to start the
inning, Abreu singled him to third, and Eaton scored on a sacrifice
fly by Garcia.
"It was a good night to have," Eaton said. "I haven't had one of
those in a long time. It was good to get off on the right foot and
score a couple of runs to help the team."
NOTES: Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon held 3B Kyle Seager out of
the starting lineup with LHP Carlos Rodon starting for the White
Sox. McClendon said there is no physical issue with Seager, who is
in a slump and went 0-for-4 against Rodon last week in Seattle. Brad
Miller started at third. "He'll be back at third base (Friday),"
McClendon said. Seager grounded out as a ninth-inning pinch hitter.
... Mariners LHP James Paxton (strained left middle finger) will
make his second rehab start Friday at Triple-A Tacoma. ... Seattle
traded RHP Fernando Rodney to the Chicago Cubs on Thursday for cash
considerations. ... The White Sox wore 1976-era throwback jerseys
with blue V-neck collars. They did not wear the blue shorts that
accompanied those uniforms for a brief time in 1976.
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