The Associated Press
CHICAGO—Matt Shoemaker put the Los Angeles Angels in a major hole. And with his teammates facing a spot-on Chris Sale, that was too much to overcome.
Sale was back in All-Star form, and Avisail Garcia homered twice to drive in four runs as the Chicago White Sox beat the Angels 8-2 last night.
“Sale is tough, and the first-and-foremost thing you have to do is pitch with him, and we didn’t do that tonight,” Los Angeles manager Mike Scioscia said.
“We’ll just turn the page with Shoe and hopefully he’ll get back where he needs to be,” he added.
Shoemaker (5-8) had thrown 19 consecutive scoreless innings before Melky Cabrera’s sacrifice fly drove in Adam Eaton to put Chicago ahead in the first.
After going three starts without allowing a run, Shoemaker was tagged for seven on nine hits in 5 2-3 innings as Los Angeles dropped its seventh straight on the road.
“My whole focus is to go out there and put up zeros,” Shoemaker said. “If I do that, we’re going to have a lot of chances to win. Today, I didn’t.”
Tyler Flowers added a solo shot to back Sale (10-7), who rebounded with a gem after allowing 14 earned runs and 18 hits in 10 1-3 innings while losing his previous two outings. The lanky left-hander didn’t permit a run until Johnny Giavotella drove in two with a double in the seventh.
“I’m just trying to do what I’ve always done—just throw strikes and win games (and) just give my team a chance to win,” Sale said. “That’s all I can do.”
Sale was charged with two runs and five hits. He struck out seven.
Garcia had his third career multihomer game to reach 11 for the season. His three-run drive was the big blow as the White Sox sent nine hitters to the plate and pulled away with a four-run sixth.
Sale set the tone as he allowed no more than a single baserunner in any of the first six innings—including a 13-pitch walk to Mike Trout in the fourth.
The Angels failed to score while Shoemaker was on the mound for the third straight game.
“We just have to try to put things together,” Trout said. “We had a couple of opportunities and it just fell short. It’s just one of them days. You try to get that big hit and with guys like him, it’s tough.”
In other American League, the Orioles beat the Mariners 3-2 while the Royals tamed the Tigers 4-0.
Over in the National League, the Mets conquered the Rockies 4-2; the Padres pounded the Reds 2-1; the Diamondbacks paralyzed the Phillies 13-3; and the Nationals defeated the Dodgers 8-3.
