VICTORY AGAIN FOR VELASQUEZ
MAKING HIS CASE TO STAY IN STARTING MIX, RIGHTY KEEPS RED SOX ON A LEASH AS WHITE SOX EXTEND STREAK TO FOUR
BOSTON — When last seen, Sox righthander Vince Velasquez was standing in a driving rain Saturday at Guaranteed Rate Field, battling the Angels’ Mike Trout in the sixth inning of a masterful start — easily his best performance of the young season.
When the umpires called for the tarp, effectively ending Velasquez’s day, he stood there, smiling and talking with Trout, both wanting to finish the duel. It was one of the neater moments of an April lacking for neat moments on the South Side.
Velasquez probably couldn’t wait for Friday, to bring what he had that day to Fenway Park to face the Red Sox. Skeptics wondered if he could spin two good games in a row. He did just that with five innings of one-run ball in a 4-2 White Sox victory.
The White Sox (12-13) won their fourth straight game and fifth in the last six, a stretch that began with Velasquez’s 5⅔ scoreless innings in a 4-0 win against the Angels — his first win since last June 29 with the Phillies.
Against the Red Sox (10-17), he worked ahead in the count and threw 49 of 75 pitches for strikes. He allowed a run and three hits, walking two and striking out two, lowering his ERA to 3.94.
“It’s all clicking,” he said. “It’s a good feeling knowing you’re establishing command with your secondary pitches. I utilized the defense as much as I could, forced some contact and made big pitches when I needed to.”
Velasquez is pitching like someone who wants to stay in the rotation, which currently includes Lucas Giolito, Dylan Cease, Michael Kopech and Dallas Keuchel, with Johnny Cueto possibly arriving from Triple-A Charlotte next week and Lance Lynn expected back after knee surgery as soon as the end of the month.
“You have to give him extra credit,” manager Tony La Russa said. “He knows who he’s matched up against. Nathan [Eovaldi] has been throwing the ball as well as anyone in baseball.”
Velasquez finished the fifth with a 3-1 lead after striking out Trevor Story with the bases full and two outs. Story was sure he checked his swing. Velasquez saw it otherwise.
“Every pitcher is going to say that, but I looked at it and was like, ‘Yeah, you went, bro,’ ” he said.
A sacrifice fly by Jose Abreu and a tworun homer by Luis Robert against Eovaldi (1-1) in the third gave Velasquez his 3-1 lead. Tim Anderson had three singles, raising his average to .330, and also scored a run, went from first to third twice with precision and played clean defense at shortstop.
“[Anderson] had a Hall of Fame game,” La Russa said. “That jet, the motor he’s got, when he makes that turn [on the bases], he kicks it into another gear. It’s as fast as anybody I’ve ever seen.”
In the eighth inning, Adam Engel singled, stole second, advanced to third on a fly out and scored on Reese McGuire’s sacrifice fly.
Liam Hendriks struck out three batters in a scoreless ninth for his eighth save.
“It’s a lot happier [in our clubhouse],” Hendriks said. “Obviously, the more you win, the more joy it brings. Then it just rolls . . . . Everybody assumes the next guy is going to pick him up. We are picking each other up.”
Velasquez, who was 0-7 with a 13.50 ERA and .364 opponents average in his previous seven road starts, is picking up the starting rotation. He was signed as a free agent March 13 for rotation depth.
“He moves his fastball around. He’s got an extra little zip,” La Russa said. “He can sink it in. He’s got a breaking ball and a slider and a change. He can get through the lineup several times and give guys different looks.”