Veteran outfielder Tommy Pham has played more than 1,000 major league games with seven other teams. That said, joining the Chicago White Sox this weekend still provided excitement for him.
“Glad to be back in the big leagues, you know,” said Pham, 36, who hopes to provide a spark again Saturday night as the White Sox try to win their first series of the season.
With Chicago battling injuries and inconsistency, the team recalled Pham from Triple-A Charlotte after signing him to a minor-league deal on April 16. He reached base three times and scored as the White Sox recorded a 9-4 home victory against the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday.
Chicago set a season high in runs to stop a seven-game losing streak. The win was just the fourth in 26 games for the club.
The White Sox also have endured skids of six, five and four games this season. The struggles amount to the worst start in club history, but general manager Chris Getz isn’t faulting the work of second-year manager Pedro Grifol.
“He’s been steady. He really has,” Getz said. “And listen, this is professional sports and there’s always a high level of scrutiny with leadership positions, whether it be myself or anyone else. And really, the measure of success is going to be our players and how they’re out there performing, and are players getting better on a regular basis.”
Chicago catcher Martin Maldonado hopes to fit that bill after hitting a three-run homer Friday. He was one of five members of the White Sox with two hits.
Tampa Bay has lost four of five games and will turn to right-hander Aaron Civale (2-2, 3.90 ERA) on Saturday in a bid to help the club reverse course.
Civale on Sunday endured the shortest of his five starts this season, scattering five runs and eight hits in 4 2/3 innings. He had five walks and five strikeouts in a 5-4 road loss to the New York Yankees.
“Just one of those days out there battling. Felt like the stuff was fine, but command and control, where I was trying to throw certain pitches, wasn’t there (Sunday),” Civale said. “Just battled as long as I could.”
Civale is 5-3 with a 4.21 ERA in 10 career starts against the White Sox.
He’s set to face Chicago rookie right-hander Jonathan Cannon (0-1, 7.27 ERA), who is coming off Monday’s road loss to the Minnesota Twins. Cannon allowed six runs and nine hits in 3 2/3 innings with one walk and a career-best five strikeouts.
The Rays were out-hit 12-9 on Friday. Curtis Mead led Tampa Bay with two hits and an RBI. Yandy Diaz opened the game with a double but left in the eighth inning after being hit on the left hand with a pitch from Michael Kopech.
The Rays said after the game that X-rays were negative on Diaz’s hand. Manager Kevin Cash said outfielder Josh Lowe (strained right oblique) could return Saturday.
–Field Level Media
