Lucas Giolito was rolling
http://www.steelersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-chukwuma-okorafor-jersey , feeling as comfortable as he has all season. It was just what the White Sox
needed.
Giolito pitched into the eighth inning before Xavier Cedeno worked out of a jam, and Chicago snapped an eight-game losing streak by beating the Oakland
Athletics 6-4 Friday night to salvage a doubleheader split.
The White Sox bounced back after getting pounded 11-2 behind a pair of three-run homers by Franklin Barreto. They stopped their worst skid since a
nine-game rut last July and ended Oakland’s season-high win streak at five.
”Definitely the best I felt out there this year, for sure,” Giolito said. ”I think velocity was up a tick. Just felt right, felt in sync and just competed
from there.”
Chicago was sailing along with a 5-2 lead when Giolito gave up back-to-back singles to Dustin Fowler and Marcus Semien to start the eighth. Jace Fry came in
and walked pinch-hitter Stephen Piscotty to load the bases before Chris Volstad
gave up a two-run single to Khris Davis, cutting it to 5-4.
Cedeno then got Matt Olson to line to shortstop Tim Anderson and struck out Mark Canha before Chad Pinder grounded into a force.
”We just came up one at-bat short in terms of at least tying the game that inning,” Oakland manager Bob Melvin said.
Anderson led off the bottom half with his 12th homer to make it a two-run game. Omar Narvaez chipped in with three hits and two RBIs for Chicago. Adam
Engel hit a two-run single and played a sparkling center field. He made a diving
catch on Pinder’s liner in the second and fired a strike to nail Pinder trying
to take third on Barreto’s fly in the seventh.
Joakim Soria retired all three batters in the ninth for his 11th save in 13 opportunities.
Giolito (5-7) allowed four runs and seven hits in a rare home win. The 23-year-old right-hander struck out eight and walked two after going 1-4 with an
11.05 ERA in his first seven starts at Guaranteed Rate Field.
”A lot more conviction in his pitches,” manager Rick Renteria said.
Olson went deep for Oakland, giving the Athletics home runs in 23 consecutive road games – one shy of the modern day record set by Baltimore in 1996. But
Chris Bassitt (0-3) got tagged for five runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings.
FOR STARTERS
Barreto’s big performance in the opener came after he hit a three-run drive in Wednesday’s romp at San Diego.
He connected against James Shields to cap a four-run second inning and off Luis Avilan in the eighth . Barreto’s first career multihomer game gave him a
personal-best six RBIs.
It was quite a display for a player who had just two home runs prior to this run. Both came against the White Sox in 2017, including a drive against Shields
(2-9) at Guaranteed Rate Field in his first major league game.
”We all know he’s got that in him
Authentic Will Butcher Jersey ,” Melvin said. ”It’s just about getting him some consistent at-bats. When he’s swinging the bat well, he’s definitely
capable of doing that.”
Sean Manaea (7-6) went seven innings, allowing one run and five hits. The 26-year-old left-hander struck out seven without a walk in winning his second
straight start.
Shields has dropped back-to-back outings after beating Cleveland for his first victory since opening day. The right-hander gave up eight runs – two
earned – and five hits in 4 2/3 innings.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Athletics: The Athletics activated LF Matt Joyce (strained lower back) from the 10-day disabled list and optioned OF Jake Smolinski to Triple-A Nashville.
Joyce started the second game after being held out of the opener. … 3B Matt
Chapman (bruised right thumb) received a cortisone injection Tuesday. Manager
Bob Melvin said the earliest he will be activated is Monday, when the Athletics
open a four-game series at Detroit. … Melvin also expects LHP Ryan Buchter
(strained left shoulder) to be activated during the Detroit series. … LHP Brett
Anderson (strained left shoulder) is scheduled to throw about four innings and
60 pitches in a rehab outing for Triple-A Nashville on Saturday.
White Sox: The White Sox activated RF Avisail Garcia (strained right hamstring) and LF Leury Garcia (sprained left knee). Both players started Game 1
but were not in the lineup for the nightcap.
UP NEXT
Athletics: RHP Daniel Mengden (6-6, 4.06 ERA) looks to break out of a slump after going 0-2 with a 10.05 ERA in his first three starts this month.
White Sox: RHP Dylan Covey (3-2, 2.90) will try to rebound from a loss at Cleveland on Monday.
—
COLUMBUS, Ohio — After losing two games to start the postseason, the Washington Capitals stand on the brink of completing a comeback and advancing to
the next round in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
A 4-3 overtime victory on Saturday in Washington gave the Capitals a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series and put them one win from closing out the Columbus
Blue Jackets.
Game 6 will be played Monday night at Nationwide Arena, where the Capitals already have won twice in the playoffs.
“It’s a big win moving forward,” Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin said after the fourth overtime game in the series. “We still have one more game. (We have
to) just play our game. It’s simple but it’s hard. They’re not going to give us
an easy one. It’s going to be interesting.”
The Capitals keep finding ways to win. Their latest victory came on a goal by Nicklas Backstrom Sylvester Williams Color Rush Jersey , his second of the game, on a redirection of a shot by Dmitry Orlov at 11:53 of overtime after Washington was
outshot 16-1 in the third period.
“We know (in a) best out of seven series we need to be a little better if we’re going to win it,” Backstrom said. “I honestly thought we got a little
lucky. But we’ll take it.
“We need be a little more aggressive. We need to be better with the puck.”
The bounces had gone the Blue Jackets’ way in their two overtime wins to start the series, but little has gone right for them since then.
The Blue Jackets were beaten in double overtime in Game 3 at home, struggled in Game 4, also at their own rink, and then played possibly their best game of
the series on Saturday but weren’t rewarded.
With the Blue Jackets in a must-win predicament, they expect to put forth their best effort on Monday. Coach John Tortorella was confident enough to say
after the latest loss in Washington, “I won’t have to say a damn word to them.
We’ll be back here for Game 7.”
Ovechkin made a similar prediction after Washington dropped the first two games in the series, saying the team would win the next two in Columbus. The
Capitals did just that.
Washington coach Barry Trotz understands that Tortorella is trying to motivate his team with a bold prediction.
“Well Authentic Sebastian Janikowski Jersey , what else are you going to say?” Trotz said. “That’s good. He wants to get it out there (that) he believes in his
team, just as I believe in my team. So it’s our job for that not to happen, and
we’re going to try to do that.”
Can the Blue Jackets deliver for Tortorella and the Columbus fans, who have yet to see the franchise win a playoff series since its inaugural season in
2000-01?
“Our backs are against the wall, right?” Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno said. “If you can’t play your best game come Monday, then that’s disappointing.
I don’t have any worries at all about our group going into Monday. If we have
the same effort, the same mentality that we did (Saturday), we should be just
fine.”
Blue Jackets forward Matt Calvert, who scored two goals (one short-handed), quickly put Game 5 behind him and looked ahead to Monday night.
“I can’t wait to get back in front of fans http://www.redskinsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-jonathan-allen-jersey ,” he said. “I think we really owe them one. It’s a great barn. It’s going to be
tough for them to come in. We’re excited about it.
“We’ve got an epic game at home to tie this up. … We want to have a dominant effort at home and get back to Washington.”
Blue Jackets defenseman Seth Jones said, “It’s do or die. Desperation level is at an all-time high. We feel confident going on our home ice.”
Capitals goalie Braden Holtby withstood the Blue Jackets’ third-period attack, finishing with 39 saves and giving Washington a chance to come away with
a win in overtime. He expects another nail-biter in the highly competitive
matchup between the Metropolitan Division teams.
Washington is 7-8 all time in games when it has a 3-2 series lead.
“It’s going to best game yet of the series,”Holtby said. “Both teams are not giving an inch, fighting for every little inch out there. We know they’re going
to come out hard for Game 6.”
.
