Astros can’t solve Sox’s Sale, fail to earn first sweep
Chicago lefthander improves to 9-0 by outdueling McHugh, denies sweep
CHICAGO — Collin McHugh pitched well enough Thursday night for the Astros to complete their sweep of the Chicago White Sox.
In fact, his season-best eight strikeouts and two runs allowed over seven innings would have gotten the job done most days.
But McHugh started opposite Chris Sale, who is the hottest pitcher in the majors. And Sale again dominated.
The 27-year-old lefthander tossed his second straight complete game, striking out nine as the White Sox beat the Astros 2-1 at U.S. Cellular Field in a pitching duel lasting 2 hours, 11 minutes.
Sale became baseball’s first nine-game winner, the first to win his first nine starts in a season since Brandon Webb did so for Arizona eight years ago. He needed just 107
pitches to get through nine innings, giving up four hits and walking none.
“Sale came as advertised,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. “It’s no real surprise as well as he’s pitched. And we knew it was going to be a tough, low-scoring game.
“If we could hang in there enough — give ourselves enough opportunities — we’d get a chance and we just couldn’t scratch anything across early. Got a couple of runners on, but he was pretty much in control of the game.”
Sale’s only mistake was to Evan Gattis, who sent a first-pitch changeup over the fence for the Astros’ run in the eighth inning.
The Astros’ other three hits were singles and each time the baserunner was stranded at first.
“He threw everything he wanted for strikes — changeup, slider, fastball, sinker — no matter the count or the situation. He just goes out there and attacks the hitter,” said Jose Altuve, who went 1-for-4 to extend his hitting streak to 11 games. “We have to give him credit.
“For me right now, he’s the best pitcher in the league, and he shut us down.”
Small ball gets it done
That doesn’t take away from the start McHugh put together or the game Gattis had at the plate — he went 2-for-3 — or behind it as he made his first start at catcher since Sept. 28, 2014.
Gattis worked well with McHugh and was able to keep the righthander’s curveballs either right in front of him or not far away.
The White Sox did steal two bases, which helped lead to their runs. But both came on curveballs that dropped in the dirt.
“The story of today is Evan Gattis,” McHugh said. “It’s been a couple years since he’s been back there, but he’s solid. He’s a big league catcher and everybody needs to understand that and recognize that because he did a really phenomenal job, both calling a game (and) blocking.
“I didn’t really give him much of a chance on a couple stolen bases, but he can
do it.”
Todd Frazier got the first steal after reaching on an infield single in the second inning. Jerry Sands drove him around with a soft single up the middle.
Jimmy Rollins got the second one in the seventh. He reached on an infield single before stealing second, taking third on Sands’ single and scoring on Alex Avila’s sacrifice fly.
The second run proved crucial for Sale, who retired 12 straight at one point.
Great catch by Springer
McHugh kept it close, getting help in the first inning on a highlight-reel catch by George Springer. Jose Abreu drove a fastball deep to right, but Springer timed his leap and brought it down in similar fashion to his game-saving catch against Texas in extra innings last year.
“It sounded like it went
far, so you can’t really tell,” McHugh said. “But George is just doing George things out there, which we’ve come to expect. He’s a treat to watch out there every night.”
McHugh retired eight in a row after Sands’ RBI single, walking Avila with two outs in the fifth inning. He left him at first base, striking out the side when he got Austin Jackson.
He also escaped a leadoff Adam Eaton triple in the sixth, striking out Abreu between a pair of flyouts.
“He battled the entire night,” Hinch said. “Very small room for error when you’re facing a guy like Sale. As always in a close game, the second run that they scratch across gives them enough breathing room to make a mistake to Gattis, but McHugh matched Sale.”