LDN - Sports

Gonzalez, Garcia lead White Sox over Yankees

[April 19, 2017] NEW YORK -- Miguel Gonzalez came tantalizingly close to finishing off an impressive and efficient outing against the hottest team in the majors.

Then he threw four consecutive pitches out of the strike zone to Brett Gardner, and suddenly a four-run lead was not so comfortable.

In the end, it worked out for Gonzalez and the Chicago White Sox.

Gonzalez came within two outs of a complete-game shutout, Avisail Garcia hit a long three-run homer in the seventh inning, and David Robertson escaped a bases-loaded jam in the ninth as Chicago held on for a 4-1 victory over the New York Yankees on Tuesday night.

Gonzalez seemed to be cruising toward his second career complete game, up 4-0 in the ninth. However, he gave up his fourth hit (all in the infield) and then, with one out, walked Gardner. Pitching coach Don Cooper came out for a lengthy consultation.

"He was telling me I really don't want to take you out, but in this situation, I think it's a good time to do it," Gonzalez said. "I totally understand that. I was getting a little tired toward the end, leaving the ball up. Things sometimes they don't go your way toward the end."

Robertson walked Jacoby Ellsbury to load the bases, got a strikeout, then walked Starlin Castro to force in a run. Robertson notched his fourth save on a bases-loaded groundout to Aaron Judge, allowing Gonzalez to snap an 18-start road winless streak.

"Outstanding," Garcia said of Gonzalez. "Everything he was throwing, fastball a strike, cutter a strike. He pitched an outstanding game, and I'm happy for him."

Gonzalez retired the first 12 hitters, threw first strikes to 18 hitters and at one point was so efficient that the Yankees saw three pitches in the seventh.

"We tried some different approaches and we just never got anything going," New York manager Joe Girardi said.

Gonzalez (2-0) lost his bid for a perfect game when Starlin Castro hit an infield single to shortstop Tim Anderson. He then got Judge to hit into a double play.

In the sixth, he gave up a single to Austin Romine that Anderson fielded in shallow center field. He then got Gardner to strike out on a changeup.

At the time of his escapes in the fifth and sixth, the White Sox held a 1-0 lead on a home run by Leury Garcia in the third off Luis Severino (1-1).

"Today he went with his plan, just make them swing the bat and it worked out," Chicago manager Rick Renteria said.

The lead expanded in the seventh as the White Sox capitalized on an error by shortstop Pete Kozma and a poorly located slider by Severino.

[to top of second column]

White Sox starting pitcher Miguel Gonzalez (58) delivers a pitch against the New York Yankees in the first inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

Melky Cabrera avoided hitting into a double play when Kozma booted his grounder. After Jose Abreu was unsuccessful at bunting on his own, Garcia sent a 2-0 slider well over the left-center field wall for his third home run and second and three games.

"He throws really, really, really hard," Garcia said. "He throws everything for a strike so you've got to be careful and don't try and do too much with that guy. My second at-bat he threw me a lot of sliders. My third at-bat he threw a couple of fastballs and I was looking for what he threw me a lot, the slider."

Severino, coming off a career-high 11 strikeouts against Tampa Bay on Thursday, allowed four runs and three hits in a career-best eight innings. He recorded eight of his 10 strikeouts in the first five innings.

Severino's inability to execute in the seventh against Garcia and New York's ability to much of anything off Gonzalez ended its eight-game winning streak. It was their longest winning streak since putting together 10 consecutive victories June 8-18, 2012.

"His stuff was as good tonight as we've seen it," Girardi said. "I thought he pitched as well as we've seen."

NOTES: Yankees SS Didi Gregorius (strained right shoulder) will start a rehab assignment Friday with Class A Tampa, while C Gary Sanchez (strained right biceps) is expected to start throwing Wednesday. ... Chicago 3B Todd Frazier (stomach flu) missed his third straight game but said he was feeling better. ... Asked about a reported proposal to have major league umpires explain rulings following replay reviews like in the NFL, New York manager Joe Girardi said: "I'm sure we're not going to always get the answers we want, but I don't necessarily think it's a bad idea. I think people enjoy it in football." ... Chicago manager Rick Renteria said he understood why DH Jose Abreu was bunting on his own with two on in the seventh when it was 1-0.

Back to top