Quintana's Wild In White Sox's Loss To Angels
JOE RESNICK, Associated Press
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Jose Quintana's wildness, coupled with C.J. Wilson's willingness to pitch deep into the game despite a flu bug, helped the Los Angeles Angels complete a three-game sweep of the Chicago White Sox and leave the South Siders with a sour end to a nine-game trip through Southern California.
The White Sox managed only three hits against Wilson in 7 1-3 innings on Sunday, two of them by Gordon Beckham, whose double-play grounder against Joe Smith ended an eighth-inning rally that produced Chicago's only runs in a 4-2 loss on Sunday.
Quintana (3-6) allowed four runs, seven hits and four walks in 4 1-3 innings and struck out four. It was the eighth time in the left-hander's 13 starts that he left a game with fewer than three runs of support, and he is 0-6 in those outings.
"It just seemed like Q was battling all the time with guys on base," manager Robin Ventura said after the Sox were swept in a three-game series for the first time this season. "I mean, he'll walk a few guys here and there, but today he was just falling behind and not really locating like he normally does."
Quintana escaped a bases-loaded jam in the first when he retired Josh Hamilton on a popup and struck out C.J. Cron. But Hamilton drove in the Angels' first run with a two-out double in the third, then made it 3-0 in the fifth with a bases-loaded two-run single after Quintana walked cleanup hitter David Freese. Cron followed with an RBI single that chased the left-hander.
Freese, who had never drawn more than two walks in any of his 507 previous regular-season games in the major leagues, got a free pass all four times up — all on full-count pitches. That tied a franchise record for walks in a nine-inning game, and was the first time it happened since May 18, 2013, when the White Sox walked Chris Iannetta four times.
"We worked a lot of walks today. Freese had the force field going today," Wilson said. "Anytime you put that much pressure on the starting pitcher and knock him out before the fifth inning, that's good."
The White Sox had the same idea regarding Wilson (7-5), but got the leadoff man on base only twice — and never had consecutive batters on until the left-hander departed.
"Wilson threw a great game. We didn't get anything going, and we were just flat," Ventura said. "We just couldn't get anybody on base. And when we did, he got a couple of double-play balls that really just took the life out of any kind of rally."
Chicago first baseman Jose Abreu started in the designated hitter role for the 10th time and was 0 for 4 with a pair of double-play grounders after striking out four times in Saturday night's 6-5 loss. A top contender for AL Rookie of the Year, he is 9 for 38 with four homers and 11 RBIs as a DH.
"I think we held him in check the whole series, but I think we just sort of got him at a bad time," Wilson said.
Wilson was charged with one run, struck out six, and was lifted after 107 pitches. Last Tuesday at Houston, he gave up five runs, six hits and five walks through 2 2-3 innings in a 7-2 loss.
The last time Wilson faced the White Sox was May 17, 2013, when he lost his second 3-0 decision to Chris Sale in a span of six days. Sale pitched on Saturday, taking a 5-0 lead into the eighth inning before giving up a grand slam to Mike Trout during a 6-run rally that put the Angels over the top.
"It would have been nice to get through the eighth today, but I knew they has a short leash on me — especially after what happened to Sale last night," Wilson said. "Sometimes you leave the starter in too long, and bad things happen."
Joe Smith relieved Wilson, giving up a double to pinch-hitter Alejandro De Aza, a run-scoring infield hit by pinch-hitter Conor Gillaspie and an RBI single by Adam Eaton before inducing Beckham's DP ball.
Ernesto Frieri got three outs for his 10th save.
NOTES: The White Sox, who began the day trailing AL Central-leading Detroit by four games, open a nine-game homestand Monday night with a four-game series against the Tigers. SS Alexei Ramirez leads the league with a .381 home batting average. ... Chicago LF Dayan Viciedo ended an 0 for 24 drought with a seventh-inning single. ... The White Sox began their all-California trip by losing two of three to San Diego, then taking two of three against the Dodgers.
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