Not this season.

Giolito allowed one run in seven innings to win his second straight start, Tim Anderson and Yonder Alonso homered and Chicago beat the Toronto Blue Jays 5-1 on Sunday.

Giolito (4-1) gave up four hits, matched his season high with eight strikeouts and improved to 2-0 with a 1.64 ERA in his past four games.

”He just had everything going and worked extremely efficiently, so he was able to get deep into the ball game,” White Sox manager Rick Renteria said. ”He looked strong, even in the seventh.”

Giolito pitched 7 1/3 shutout innings to beat Cleveland in his previous outing.

Four of Toronto’s first seven batters got hits, including three of the first four, but Giolito allowed just two batters to reach after the first.

”He really set the tone for us,” catcher James McCann said.

Giolito said he has been able to limit early damage by remembering to gather himself between each pitch when he’s in a jam.

”That’s a big, big thing for me this year, not letting innings get out of control,” he said. ”Last year, that’s one of those innings that would probably get away from me. You know, give up three runs, put myself in a hole at the beginning of the game.”

Rowdy Tellez had an RBI single in the first inning. Teoscar Hernandez hit a leadoff single in the second and Randal Grichuk walked to begin the fourth, but those were the only blemishes in a stretch that saw Giolito retire 20 of 22 batters.

”He kept his composure and did a really nice job,” Renteria said. ”He’s maturing. This young man has done a lot to put himself in a better place and it’s noticeable.”

Ryan Burr and Aaron Bummer each pitched one inning to complete a four-hitter in the finale of a seven-game trip.

Toronto lost for the 10th time in 12 games and dropped to a season-worst eight games below .500. The Blue Jays have scored two or fewer in eight of their past 10 games.

”It’s just that everyone is struggling at the same time,” manager Charlie Montoyo said. ”When you’re down by four, it seems like 10. It’s not a good feeling. That’s were we are right now.”

Anderson hit a three-run homer in a five-run fourth that included Alonso’s two-run homer.

Aaron Sanchez (3-4) lost his third straight start, allowing five runs in six innings. He struck out 11, one shy of his career high, including five of his first six.

White Sox center fielder Leury Garcia stayed down after crashing into an unpadded section of the outfield wall as he hauled in Justin Smiak’s deep drive in the third. Garcia finished the inning, but was replaced in the batting order by Carlos Rondon in the fourth.

Renteria said Garcia is day to day.

Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr. doubled in the first, extending his streak of reaching safely to five plate appearances. Guerrero went 0 for 3 the rest of the day.

TRAINER’S ROOM

White Sox: OF Nicky Delmonico (left shoulder) was scratched from the lineup. Delmonico made a diving play in Saturday’s game. … McCann remained in the game after taking a foul tip off a groin in the seventh.

FLIPPANT

Anderson, who has developed a reputation for post-homer celebrations, said he wanted to flip his bat after going deep against Toronto in this series but didn’t after connecting off Sanchez.

”I thought about flipping it there and then I heard Ricky (Renteria) say `Run,”’ said Anderson, who had paused at the plate to admire his drive. ”He kind of interrupted me a little bit.”

Toronto’s Grichuk exchanged comments with Anderson on social media last month after Anderson flipped his bat in a game against Kansas City, sparking a benches-clearing incident.

DOLLARS AND CENTS

The Blue Jays agreed Saturday to send $30,000 to Oakland for acquire RHP Edwin Jackson. Jackson, who had been pitching at Triple-A, is expected to start for Toronto at San Francisco on Wednesday.

CRIME DOESN’T PAY

Anderson was caught stealing second in the third, a call confirmed by replay review, the first time he was thrown out in 13 attempts this season.

FOUR AND MORE

The White Sox are 17-5 when they score four or more runs.

UP NEXT

White Sox: RHP Reynaldo Lopez (2-4, 6.38) starts the opener of a two-game series against Cleveland on Monday. Lopez faced the Indians in his previous start, allowing three runs in six innings.

Blue Jays: RHP Trent Thornton (0-4, 5.06) is scheduled to start Tuesday at San Francisco and RHP Tyler Beede (0-1, 18.69).

The post Giolito wins 2nd straight start, White Sox top Blue Jays 5-1 appeared first on IdealCapper.

White Sox at Pirates
Current Conditions – Pittsburgh
P/SUNNY 79 °F
Wind: NW 8
GAME: Chicago White Sox (28-34) at Pittsburgh Pirates (36-27)
DATE/TIME: Tuesday, June 16 – 7:05 PM EST
WHERE: PNC Park, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
LINE: 143, -155 TOTAL: 7
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, CSN Chicago, ROOT (Pittsburgh)
PITCHING MATCHUP: White Sox LH Jose Quintana (3-6, 4.00 ERA) vs. Pirates RH Charlie Morton (4-0, 2.05)
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left hander Jose Quintana will take the mound for the White Sox to start this game. Quintana is 3-6 this season with a 4.00 ERA.

It’ll be Charlie Morton toeing the rubber for the Pirates in this contest. Right hander Morton is 4-0 with a 2.05 ERA so far this season.

Oddsmakers currently have the Pirates listed as 160-moneyline favorites versus the White Sox, while the game’s total is sitting at 7½.

Chicago was a 11-0 loser in its last match on the road against the Pirates. They lost as +185 underdogs, while the total score of 11 made winners of OVER bettors.

Chicago:
Team record: 28-34
Current Streak: lost 4 straight games.
Chi White Sox is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
Chi White Sox is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Chi White Sox’s last 7 games on the road
Chi White Sox is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games when playing Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh:
Team record: 36-27
Current Streak: won 5 straight games.
Pittsburgh is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Pittsburgh’s last 8 games
Pittsburgh is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Pittsburgh’s last 10 games at home

The post Chicago White Sox vs. Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Preview appeared first on IdealCapper.

White Sox at Tigers
GAME: Chicago White Sox (3-5) at Detroit Tigers (8-1)
DATE/TIME: Friday, April 17 – 1:08 PM EST
WHERE: Comerica Park, Detroit, Michigan
LINE: 152, -165
TOTAL: 7.5
TV: 1:08 p.m. ET, MLB Network, CSN Chicago, FSN Detroit
PITCHING MATCHUP: White Sox RHP Jeff Samardzija (0-1, 6.23 ERA) vs. Tigers LHP David Price (1-0, 0.00 ERA)
PREDICTION: Tigers 6, White Sox 1
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The White Sox will give the ball to starter Jeff Samardzija in this one. Right hander Samardzija is 0-1 this season with a 6.23 ERA.

Meanwhile, it’ll be David Price who starts for the Tigers. Left hander Price is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA so far this season.

Oddsmakers currently have the Tigers listed as 170-moneyline favorites versus the White Sox, while the game’s total is sitting at 7.

The Tigers were a 1-0 winner in their most recent outing on the road against the Pirates. That made winners of bettors who got Detroit at +134 on the moneyline, while the total score (1) was good news for UNDER bettors.

Price is off to a sizzling start in his first full season with the Tigers as he’s yet to allow an earned run in 14 1/3 innings of work. The 29-year-old struck out five batters over 8 2/3 innings in the Opening Day win against the Minnesota Twins before fanning six over 5 2/3 in a no-decision versus the Cleveland Indians on April 11. Price signed a one-year deal worth $19.5 million in January and it seems to be money well spent for Detroit as he looks to extend his 21 2/3 inning scoreless streak, which dates back to last season.

Team record: 8-1
Detroit is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Detroit’s last 6 games
Detroit is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Detroit’s last 5 games at home

Chicago was a 4-2 loser in its last match on the road against the Indians. They lost as +120 underdogs, while the total score of 6 made winners of UNDER bettors.

Chicago manager Robin Ventura moved Samardzija in the rotation to ensure that the eighth-year pro gets a crack at the Tigers for the first time in his career. The 30-year-old is still looking for his first win with the White Sox after he lost his debut at the Kansas City Royals on Apr. 6 before giving up eight hits and four earned runs against the Minnesota Twins five days later. Samardzjia has retired 10 of the last 12 batters he has faced and hopes the trend continues as he tries to shut down Detroit’s explosive offense.

Team record: 3-5
Chi White Sox is 4-10 SU in its last 14 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Chi White Sox’s last 6 games
Chi White Sox is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games on the road
Chi White Sox is 8-17 SU in its last 25 games when playing on the road against Detroit

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Swisher passed his physical with the Cleveland Indians on Thursday and signed the four-year, $56 million, free-agent contract he agreed to last month.

The 32-year-old Swisher, born in Columbus, Ohio, will be introduced at a news conference later at Progressive Field. Swisher’s deal includes a vesting option based on plate appearances for 2017.

After trading Shin-Soo Choo last month, the Indians were desperate for a proven right fielder. They pursued Shane Victorino at the winter meetings. But after he signed with Boston, the Indians turned their attention to Swisher, who batted .272 with 24 homers and 93 RBIs last season — his fourth with the New York Yankees.

A switch hitter, Swisher should provide power and versatility to new manager Terry Francona’s lineup. The Indians only hit 136 homers last season, second-fewest in the AL.

Swisher drew interest from several teams, but the Indians were the most aggressive and used his Ohio connections to convince him to come to Cleveland.

When Swisher and his wife, actress Joanna Garcia Swisher, visited Cleveland last month, the club rolled out the scarlet-and-gray carpet to impress them. Swisher attended Ohio State, where he played baseball. The Indians brought in former Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel to have lunch with Swisher, and the team also had recorded messages from coach Urban Meyer as well as Buckeyes basketball coach Thad Matta play on the giant scoreboard, urging him to come “home.”

Francona’s arrival in Cleveland also had an impact on Swisher.

Swisher’s father, Steve, managed Francona in the minor leagues. Francona has known Swisher since he was a kid.

Swisher is just one of three American Leaguers to hit at least 20 homers in each of the past eight seasons. He’s a career .256 hitter with 209 homers and 673 RBIs in nine seasons with Oakland, the Chicago White Sox and Yankees.

With New York concerned about avoiding the luxury tax in the future, the Yankees did not go after Swisher after he turned down a qualifying offer from them. Once Swisher signed with the Indians, New York general manager Brian Cashman said he thought “Cleveland got a bargain.”

Swisher made the AL’s All-Star team in 2010, when he batted .288 with 29 homers and 89 RBIs.

His signing is among many moves made this offseason by the Indians, who collapsed in August — going 5-24 — and finished 68-94 last season. The first change may have been the biggest as manager Manny Acta was fired and replaced by Francona, who won two World Series titles with Boston.

Cleveland also signed free agent first baseman Mark Reynolds and acquired center fielder Drew Stubbs and prized-pitching prospect Trevor Bauer in a nine-player, three-team trade with Cincinnati and Arizona.

The Indians have an agreement with right-hander Brett Myers on a one-year, $7 million contract pending a physical. Myers likely would take one of the openings in the club’s starting rotation.

Cleveland remains in the market for a designated hitter.

The post Nick Swisher officially joins Indians appeared first on IdealCapper.

Fisk, 65, was sentenced to one year of court supervision and must pay $1,250 in court costs. He also must undergo a drug and alcohol evaluation and counseling.

Fisk’s attorney, Stephen White, said in Will County court that Fisk wanted to accept responsibility for what he did.

“He stepped up to the plate,” White said.

New Lenox police found Fisk unconscious in the truck on Oct. 22 and said there was an open bottle of vodka on the floor. New Lenox is about 35 miles southwest of downtown Chicago.

Fisk became part of an unforgettable baseball moment while playing for the Boston Red Sox when he belted a 12th-inning home run that won Game 6 of the 1975 World Series. He played 11 seasons with the Red Sox and 13 with the Chicago White Sox.

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