CHISOX WHITEWASH BOSOX FOR 2ND STRAIGHT DAY
Sale, 2 Relievers Hold Boston to 2 Hits

CHICAGO, Apr. 17 (AP) - Chris Sale held the Red Sox to two hits over 7 1/3 innings, leading the Chicago White Sox past Boston 2-0 at U.S. Cellular Field.  It was the second straight day that the White Sox defeated the Red Sox by a 2-0 score.  John Danks and a quartet of relievers turned the trick for Chicago on April 16.

Sale's mound opponent, Boston starter Jon Lester, was the hard luck loser in this game.  Lester absorbed the defeat despite allowing just two runs on five hits and a walk while striking out 10.

The White Sox scored the game's only runs in the second inning.  With one out, Paul Konerko singled and Alexei Ramirez followed with his second home run of the year.  The two-run shot landed in the left field seats and gave the White Sox a 2-0 lead they would never surrender.  Alejandro De Aza followed Ramirez's homer with a single, but after that Lester retired nine straight batters and Chicago never advanced another runner past first base for the remainder of the game.

Boston's problem, simply put, was Sale.  Dustin Pedroia led off the ballgame with a single and was immediately erased on a double play ball off the bat of Xander Bogaerts, thus beginning a string of 12 consecutive batters retired.  The Red Sox didn't move a runner past first base until the seventh, when they finally put together a threat.  Bogaerts drew a lead-off walk.  Sale fanned David Ortiz and Mike Napoli but Jonny Gomes singled to center, putting runners on first and second.  But Sale fanned David Ross, striking out the side and ending the threat.

Sale stayed on the mound to open the eighth and punched out Daniel Nava for his 10th strikeout of the game before being lifted for Zach Putnam, who walked Mike Carp before regrouping and striking out Jackie Bradley, Jr. and Pedroia.  Matt Lindstrom entered in the ninth and walked Bogaerts but then induced a double play ball out of Ortiz and closed out the game in style, whiffing Napoli, who struck out all four times he came to the plate in this contest.

4/17/2014, Bos14-ChA14, U.S. Cellular Field
 
                       1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9     R  H  E   LOB DP
2014 Red Sox           0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0     0  2  0     4  2
2014 White Sox         0  2  0  0  0  0  0  0  x     2  5  0     2  3
 
Red Sox              AB  R  H BI   AVG    White Sox            AB  R  H BI   AVG
Pedroia           2b  4  0  1  0  .293    Eaton             cf  4  0  0  0  .319
Bogaerts          ss  2  0  0  0  .271    Semien            3b  2  0  0  0  .172
Ortiz             dh  4  0  0  0  .180    Viciedo           rf  3  0  0  0  .209
Napoli            1b  4  0  0  0  .377     Danks,Jor        rf  0  0  0  0  .250
Gomes,J           lf  2  0  1  0  .273    Dunn,A            dh  3  0  0  0  .211
Ross,D            c   3  0  0  0  .235    Konerko           1b  3  1  1  0  .273
Nava              rf  3  0  0  0  .222    Ramirez,Al        ss  3  1  2  2  .217
Roberts,R         3b  1  0  0  0  .167    De Aza            lf  3  0  1  0  .349
 Carp             ph  0  0  0  0  .333    Flowers           c   3  0  1  0  .189
 Herrera,J        pr  0  0  0  0  .269    Garcia,Le         2b  3  0  0  0  .250
Bradley           cf  3  0  0  0  .149                         27  2  5  2
                     26  0  2  0
 
Red Sox                          INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA
Lester           L 0-2           7.0  5  2  2  1 10  98  67  4.43
Badenhop                         1.0  0  0  0  0  1  15   9  1.29
                                 8.0  5  2  2  1 11 113  76
 
White Sox                        INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA
Sale             W 2-1           7.1  2  0  0  3 10 117  74  0.87
Putnam           H 1             0.2  0  0  0  1  2  17   9  0.00
Lindstrom        S 1             1.0  0  0  0  1  1  15   8  0.87
                                 9.0  2  0  0  5 13 149  91
 
Bos: Carp batted for Roberts,R in the 8th
     Herrera,J ran for Carp in the 8th
     Herrera,J moved to 3b in the 8th
ChA: Danks,Jor inserted at rf in the 9th
 
HR-Ramirez,Al(2). RBI-Ramirez,Al 2(8). K-Pedroia, Ortiz 2, Napoli 4, Gomes,J,
Ross,D 2, Nava, Bradley 2, Eaton, Semien, Viciedo, Dunn,A 2, Konerko,
De Aza 2, Flowers, Garcia,Le 2. BB-Bogaerts 2, Gomes,J, Roberts,R, Carp,
Semien.
GWRBI: Ramirez,Al
Temperature: 53, Sky: clear, Wind: out to right at 3 MPH.
Attendance: 15,178
Game Time: 2:38