Chris Sale fans 13 in White Sox win over Tigers

After giving up three runs in the top of the first, Chicago’s ace struck out the side four separate times on his way to 13 strikeouts against the Tigers.

by Nick Bond

Aug 31, 2014, 11:30 AM UTC

Jeffrey Phelps

Without Chris Sale, it's hard to imagine where the White Sox would be this season.

They almost definitely would have lost Saturday's game against the Tigers. Especially in a game against Max Scherzer -- who struck out 11, and had been beaten just once in his last 11 games -- or if any pitcher other than Sale started out the way he did. The three-time All-Star gave up three runs on two home runs by Ian Kinsler and Victor Martinez in just the first inning, the most earned runs he's given up since August 1 and just the fifth time he's given up that many all season.

But after going down 3-0, Sale was “Cy Young” dominant, striking out the side four separate times on his way to 13 Ks. It is his 17th career game with 10+ strikeouts, tying the White Sox franchise record held by Ed Walsh.

Getting to the second part of that equation -- the near-historic dominance -- without having to deal with the initial trials and tribulations is something he has been working on this season. “I get in that scenario a lot when I start overthrowing and coming out of my shoes,” Sale told the Associated Press. “Coop (pitching coach Don Cooper) and I talked a lot this week about slowing down, not gripping it and ripping it when bad things happen. That’s what I tried to do today -- slow it down.”

It seemed like it worked.

O’s are makin’ moves, makin’ thousand-dollar moves

The Orioles have acquired OF Alejandro De Aza from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for minor league RHPs Miguel Chalas and Mark Blackmar.
— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) August 31, 2014

The Orioles have acquired INF Kelly Johnson & Mi Lg INF Michael Almanzar from BOS in exchange for Mi Lg INF’s Jemile Weeks & Ivan De Jesus.
— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) August 31, 2014