Replay proves costly in loss
Reversed foul call allows go-ahead run in 7th inning
CHICAGO — A night after replay review helped the Orioles hang on for a win, the Chicago White Sox used the new fixture of the game to secure a victory of their own.
The White Sox got the go-ahead run when a ball initially ruled foul down the left-field line was reversed to a fair ball on replay, and tacked on another with a late home run to beat the Orioles, 4-2, on Saturday night at U.S. Cellular Field in front of an announced 28,491.
Chicago loaded the bases in the seventh inning with three singles off Orioles starter Chris Tillman (14-4) and reliever Mychal Givens before the pop-up in question by White Sox catcher Omar Narvaez, which was just out of the reach of third baseman Manny Machado.
It took a long review, but the umpires called the ball fair because it caught a bit of chalk.
“It doesn’t matter where it hit the ground if it hit his glove,” manager Buck Showalter said. “I’m hoping they felt like they had a replay that was definitive enough that he touched it in fair territory, because we don’t have one.”
The result was different from Friday’s review, which ended an eighthinning White Sox rally on a poor base-running play by Dioner Navarro.
The Orioles managed just six hits, one night after scoring seven runs on 16 hits. Eight were left on base, and the Orioles were 2for-8 with runners in scoring position.
The Orioles fell to 62-47, but a corresponding loss by the Toronto Blue Jays means the two remain tied for first place in the American League East. Tillman troubles: Tillman allowed back-to-back doubles to shortstop Tim Anderson and left fielder Melky Cabrera in the first inning, both on breaking balls, as the White Sox took a 1-0 lead. Second baseman Tyler Saladino hit a hanging changeup into the bleachers for a leadoff home run in the third to extend the Chicago lead to 2-0.
Tillman then settled in until a pair of singles to open the seventh inning chased him from the game. One of those two runners scored, and Tillman was charged with three runs on seven hits and two walks in six innings.
“It was OK,” Tillman said. “Not good, not bad. Made a lot of good pitches when I needed to. A lot of hard contact, a lot of hard outs, both in the air and on the ground. I like to keep that to a minimum. They put some good at-bats together, good approach. For the most part it was good.”
In relief of Tillman, Givens allowed two singles — including a runscoring bloop that eluded Machado — then struck out the next three batters.
With Brad Brach and Darren O’Day both having pitched Friday, the next man out of the bullpen was Vance Worley, who allowed a home run on the first pitch he threw to make it 4-2 Chicago.
After a leadoff double by center fielder Adam Jones and a single by second baseman Jonathan Schoop, the next five Orioles to face left-hander Carlos Rodon struck out swinging.
Rodon finished with seven strikeouts in six innings, but left without a chance to win after the Orioles clawed back to tie the game with runs in the fourth and sixth innings. Just one of the runs off Rodon was earned. Hardy’s day: With two on and two out in the fourth inning, shortstop J.J. Hardy laced a line drive that one-hopped over the wall for a ground-rule double. One run scored, but Chris Davis was granted only two bases on the play. Two innings later, with the bases loaded, Hardy knocked in a second run on a sacrifice fly to right field to tie the score.
“J.J. is one of those guys that people that aren’t in the arena don’t really notice him unless there’s some big statistical change,” Showalter said. “But we know J.J. is just a solid, winning player, whether his average climbs up and he starts doing things statistically [or not]. The first time he’s thinking about just playing a game and not worrying about anything health-wise. He’s in good shape health-wise, and we’re going to try to keep him that way.” BALTIMORE Jones cf Kim lf Machado 3b Davis 1b Trumbo rf Reimold rf Alvarez dh Wieters c Schoop 2b Hardy ss TOTALS CHICAGO Eaton cf Saladino ss Cabrera lf Abreu 1b Morneau dh Frazier 3b Garcia rf Navarro c Sanchez 2b TOTALS Baltimore Chicago 41 37 7 5 16 10 013 000 030—7 000 200 030—5 6 4 .269 .331 .305 .218 .267 .236 .262 .240 .285 .281 .271 .264 .302 .273 .276 .214 .239 .212 .121 16 4 10 1 E: Davis 2 (6), Wieters (6), Schoop (7), Saladino (6). LOB: Baltimore 8, Chicago 9. 2B: Machado (32), Schoop (29), Garcia (11), Sanchez (3). HR: Alvarez (17), off Gonzalez; Alvarez (18), off Kahnle; Abreu (13), off Gallardo. RBIs: Jones (64), Machado 2 (60), Alvarez 2 (38), Hardy (25), Abreu (59), Garcia 2 (36), Sanchez (2). SB: Saladino (7). CS: Sanchez (1). SF: Jones. SO: Kim (1), Davis (2), Reimold (1), Saladino (2), Cabrera (1), Abreu (1), Morneau (2), Frazier (1). Runners left in scoring position: Baltimore 2 (Kim, Machado); Chicago 5 (Saladino, Abreu, Morneau 2, Sanchez). RISP: Baltimore 3 for 7; Chicago 1 for 10. GIDP: Kim, Garcia. BALTIMORE Gllrdo W,4-3 Brach H,19 O’Day Ondrusek H,1 Brttn S,34-34 CHICAGO Gnzlz L,2-6 10 4 3 0 1 4.09 Jennings 1 0 0 0 1 1.96 Kahnle 4 3 3 0 0 6.52 Ynoa 1 0 0 0 0 4.50 Turner 1 0 0 0 0 2 12.54 Inherited runners-scored: Ondrusek 2-1, Ynoa 2-1. WP: Britton 2. Umpires: H, Mike Winters; 1B, Mark Wegner; 2B, Mike Muchlinski; 3B, Marty Foster. Time: 3:19. A: 26,553. 6 1 1 6 1 7 0 2 1 0 2 0 3 0 0 2 0 3 0 0 1 1 2 0 0 3 1 0 0 3 5.48 1.25 3.46 2.46 0.58