CHICAGO — Chris Sale is more efficient this season and it showed in the Chicago White Sox’s 2-1 win to conclude a series against the Houston Astros on Thursday night at U.S. Cellular Field.
Sale (9-0) led the way by throwing his second consecutive complete game and earned his ninth straight win to start the season, becoming the first pitcher in the majors since Brandon Webb in 2008 to win his first nine starts.
After throwing a complete game in 99 pitches for a win at the New York Yankees on May 13, Sale needed just 107 pitches to beat the Astros in nine innings. It was a needed win for the White Sox (25-16), who’d lost a season-high four straight games and avoided being swept for the first time.
Sale, who had 274 strikeouts last season, has sacrificed high strikeout totals for effectiveness. He finished with nine strikeouts against Houston, didn’t walk any and the only run he allowed was off a solo home run by Evan Gattis (2-for-3) on the first pitch of the eighth.
Sale’s strikeout total moved him past Doc White and tied him with Ted Lyons for eighth all-time in career strikeouts among White Sox pitchers (1,073).
Collin McHugh took the loss despite a strong start for the Astros (17-25), who finished 3-4 on their road trip to Boston and Chicago. McHugh went seven innings, struck out eight and allowed two runs on five hits and a walk.
Jerry Sands went 2-for-3 with an RBI single to lead the way offensively for the White Sox, whose manufactured a run in the seventh that turned out to be the difference. After Jimmy Rollins hit a one-out infield single, he stole second, advanced to third on Sand’s single and scored on a sacrifice fly by Alex Avila to make it 2-0.
Backed by Sale’s dominance, the White Sox clung to a 1-0 lead on a run scratched out against McHugh in the second. Frazier hit a lead-off single, stole second and came around to score on a two-out single by Jerry Sands.
That was all the run support Sale needed.
The ace left-hander cruised through the first six innings scoreless, allowing two hits on 73 pitches. Evan Gattis recorded a two-out single in the second and Jose Altuve did the same in the sixth.
Despite toting a 5.58 ERA into the game, McHugh allowed one run on three hits in his first six innings. He got some defensive help from George Springer, who robbed Jose Abreu of a potential home run with a leaping grab at the fence in the first, and retired three straight hitters in the sixth to strand Adam Eaton at third following a lead-off triple.
NOTES: White Sox manager Robin Ventura had some changes in his starting lineup in order to give some regulars a day off. He started 2B Carlos Sanchez, DH Jerry Sands and C Alex Avila for 2B Brett Lawrie, DH Avisail Garcia and C Dioner Navarro. … Ventura also moved SS Jimmy Rollins from the second spot in the batting order down to sixth. “With (Sanchez) in there, you can do a little bit with him in case you need to pinch hit at some point with him in that spot,” Ventura said. “With Jimmy, it’s just getting another guy with more veteran presence down a little later in the lineup that (Lawrie) would be at.” … Houston manager A.J. Hinch sat rookie 3B Colin Moran, C Jason Castro and CF Colby Rasmus, all left-handed hitters, against LHP Chris Sale. … Evan Gattis started behind the plate for the Astros. Gattis was recalled from Double-A Corpus Christi on Tuesday, where he brushed up on his receiving skills for the added role of backup catcher. … Hinch said injured CF Carlos Gomez (bruised rib cage) would likely begin a rehab assignment next week.