Levine: White Sox Snap 8-Game Skid
By Bruce Levine--
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The monkey has finally been knocked off of the collective back of the White Sox. Another excellent starting pitching performance wasn't wasted Saturday afternoon in a 3-2 win against Texas after Chicago had lost eight straight games.
Chicago starters have allowed just seven runs in the past four games. Surprisingly with that awesome display of pitching, only Saturday's result appears on the winning side of the ledger.
This time, rookie left-handed Carlos Rodon threw six solid innings, allowing just two runs, to win his third game of the season. Each win has come at home.
A first-round pick by the White Sox in the 2014 amateur draft, Rodon has refined his skills while watching Chris Sale and the rest of a quality rotation conduct its business.
After his first major league loss in Pittsburgh last week, the 22-year-old Rodon showed maturity moving on into Saturday's start against Texas.
"I guess forgetting," Rodon said was the lesson learned last time out. "I had to put it behind me. As soon as that game in Pittsburgh was over, it was tough putting it behind me. I was able to forget about it, do my side work this week and tried to get better. I came out and competed today."
The White Sox are still slumping with the bat, having scored less than an average of three runs per game in their last 16 contests, going 5-11. On Saturday, Rodon and the bullpen made three third-inning runs off of Rangers starter Nick Martinez hold up.
"Anytime you go on a skid like this, it's nice to get a win," manager Robin Ventura said. "You get that negative feeling away from you. You can only enjoy it for a little while because you have to get right back at it the next day. You want to continue the moment, but the next preparation is next."
Watching Sale throw eight dominant innings against Texas on Friday while striking out 14 batters may be the equivalent of getting a PHD in pitching for Rodon.
"It's fun to watch him pitch," Rodon said. "I just enjoy being a fan watching him for however long he goes. I just enjoy watching him pitch."
The White Sox bullpen was rock solid Saturday, throwing three perfect innings while striking out six of the 12 hitters it faced. David Robertson got his 14th save, atoning for his blown save and loss on Friday evening. Robertson struck out the dangerous Prince Fielder with a nasty array of breaking balls to set the tone for the save.
"Yeah, I was not giving in and was giving everything I had," Robertson said. "I was not going to give in at any point. They have good hitters, so I was not giving in at all. I didn't miss any pitches which is nice."
Chicago started the day 10 games under .500 in the standings and 11 behind first-place Kansas City in the American League Central.
"Carlos pitched his tail off and the guys played hard all game," Robertson said. "We had some things happened which we needed to happen. We ended up with more runs than them and got a win."
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score and CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.
