Sale tries to bounce back versus Rays
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Mother Nature has wreaked havoc on the Chicago White Sox over the past week and they resume an abbreviated homestand Thursday in the opener of a four-game series versus the Tampa Bay Rays.
The White Sox had a game postponed their series with Minnesota and Cleveland, and just split a two-game set with the Indians at U.S. Cellular Field. After dropping a 3-2 decision to the Tribe on Tuesday, the second portion of the series was canceled due to inclement weather.
Chicago then came back with Wednesday's 3-2 win behind a decent outing from Jose Quintana, who tossed five innings of two-run ball. Four relievers kept the Indiana off the board the rest of the way with Addison Reed notching his sixth save in the ninth. Quintana entered the game with a 13 2/3 innings scoreless streak.
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"He's been pitching great," said White Sox manager Robin Ventura, who is six wins shy of 100 as manager. "Up until that sixth inning, he just looked strong."
Alex Rios clubbed a two-run home run and Jeff Keppinger collected two hits and knocked in the other run for the White Sox, who halted a four-game losing streak and are 1-3 on what is now an eight-game homestand.
Chris Sale will make his fifth start of the season Thursday for the Pale Hose and hasn't won since Opening Day. The young left-hander was rocked for eight runs in 4 1/3 innings on April 13 at Cleveland, then allowed three runs -- two earned -- in seven innings of a 3-1 loss at Toronto last Thursday.
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Sale is 1-2 with a 4.50 earned run average and 1-0 in two starts at home. He has faced Tampa Bay four times in his career (2 starts), going 1-1 with a save and a 4.85 ERA in 13 innings.
Tampa Bay will brave the elements when it opens a 10-game road trip against Chicago, Kansas City and Colorado, and is coming off a series win over the New York Yankees.
The Rays took two of three matchups with their AL East rivals, including Wednesday's 3-0 win -- the club's fifth shutout of the season. Alex Cobb held the Yankees in check with 8 1/3 scoreless innings, seven strikeouts and one walk. He scattered three hits before Fernando Rodney came on to get the final two outs for his third save.
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"I felt really good out there tonight," Cobb said. "I knew throwing out my first bullpen (session) that I was going to have good fastball location. "When you have that mindset going into the first couple of innings, you get in kind of a groove and things just start to work."
Cobb is 10-2 since the beginning of last August.
Ben Zobrist hit a two-run double and Sean Rodriguez homered for Tampa Bay, which has won six of eight games and rebounded from Tuesday's 4-3 loss in the middle portion of the series.
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Taking the mound for the Rays in the chilly South Side of Chicago will be Jeremy Hellickson. Hellickson was on point in his previous start, a 1-0 win over Oakland on Saturday. He did not permit a runner past first base and hurled seven shutout innings with six K's and one walk.
Hellickson, who is 1-1 with a 3.55 earned run average in four starts, is 0-1 in two road assignments so far. The right-hander lost his only career start against the White Sox last Sept. 28 in a 3-1 setback.
The Rays lost four of seven matchups with the White Sox a year ago, dropping three of four at U.S. Cellular Field.