Having already clinched their fourth series win out of five sets since the All-Star break, the resurgent Chicago White Sox will try to close their second series sweep of the season when they meet the sputtering Los Angeles Angels on Sunday afternoon in Anaheim, Calif.
Chicago, which won just seven of its first 30 games to start the season, didn’t manage one series sweep in the first half. But the White Sox changed that coming out of the All-Star break with a three-game sweep of the Pirates in Pittsburgh, part of a season-best four-game winning streak.
Chicago, 10-4 since the break, can match that winning streak with a victory Sunday over Los Angeles, which has gone just 6-9 during that span and has lost three games in a row.
Sean Burke (4-8, 4.17 ERA), who allowed three hits over six shutout innings in a 8-1 victory over the Angels on Opening Day in Chicago, will oppose fellow right-hander Jack Kochanowicz (3-9, 5.75) in the series finale. That March 27 start was Burke’s lone career game against Los Angeles.
Kochanowicz is 0-0 with a 1.35 ERA in three career starts against the White Sox. He will look to snap an 11-start winless streak dating to a 6-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 16.
Chicago hit four home runs in a 6-3 victory in Friday’s series opener and followed with a 1-0 win Saturday as Aaron Civale, Brandon Eisert and Jordan Leasure combined to throw a one-hitter. The Angels fell to 5 1/2 games behind the Seattle Mariners for the final wild-card spot in the American League.
Civale continued his dominance since the All-Star break by allowing just a fourth-inning infield single on a dribbler up the third base line to Zach Neto. Civale pitched 6 1/3 innings, walking one and striking out a season-high eight batters.
“He made my job really easy,” said catcher Kyle Teel, who drove in the only run of the game with a second-inning single. “I could have been blindfolded. He was hitting the spot every time.”
Civale has made three starts since the All-Star break and has allowed just one unearned run and seven hits over 17 1/3 innings while striking out 20. His ERA has dropped from 5.30 to 3.99 during that time.
“Just total control,” Chicago manager Will Venable said. “Got a lot of swings and misses on the curve ball. Fastball was good, and (also) the cutter. He was just in total control. Just the one infield hit. He did a great job. Just outstanding.”
The Angels had hoped to make up ground in the playoff race with a 13-game homestand following a 2-4 on a road trip to Philadelphia and New York against the Mets right after the All-Star break. But on Saturday, they fell to 4-5 on the homestand that will finish with three games against Tampa Bay starting Monday.
“Give Civale some of the credit,” Angels interim manager Ray Montgomery said after the shutout loss. “Obviously, he’s pretty good, he knows what he’s doing, he’s been doing it for a long time. … Tough night. Got to turn the page. Obviously, the offense wasn’t there tonight.”
Outfielder/DH Mike Trout missed his second straight game with an illness for the Angels while infielder Miguel Vargas, penciled in to bat cleanup for the White Sox, was a late scratch with a left oblique strain.
“Taking swings pregame, just felt a little something in his side,” Venable said. “Will continue to get it evaluated but likely an IL (injured list stint) for him.”
–Field Level Media
