Albers' 1st Hit Since 2007 Helps Push White Sox Past Mets In 13 Innings
NEW YORK (AP) — Pitcher Matt Albers doubled leading off the 13th inning for his first hit since 2007 and scored the tiebreaking run as the Chicago White Sox rallied past the New York Mets, 2-1, on Wednesday, helped by Todd Frazier's major league-leading 17th homer.
Albers (2-4) relieved White Sox closer David Robertson to start the 12th and led off the 13th in his first at-bat since 2009. With the outfield playing shallow, he lined a 1-2 pitch from Logan Verrett (3-3) to left-center, and the ball rolled to the fence on two hops. Unaccustomed to baserunning, Albers didn't slide at second and steadied himself against second baseman Neil Walker to avoid coming off the base.
A 33-year-old right-hander who has spent most of his career in the American League, Albers had been 2-for-34 (.059) at the plate in his major league career and had not even batted since 2009. He chugged to third on a wild pitch that went to the backstop and scored standing up for his first major league run on Jose Abreu's sacrifice fly.
Chicago, which rallied from a four-run deficit Tuesday to stop a seven-game slide, won consecutive games for only the second time since May 6-9 and won a road series for the first time since April 25-27 at Toronto. The White Sox have lost 15 of 21 following a 23-10 start.
And it definitely was a wild win. In the first extra-inning game at Citi Field since Kansas City won Game 5 of last year's World Series to take the title, Chicago pitchers walked 13 while White Sox fielders turned five double plays and the Mets stranded 14 runners. After walking Rene Rivera with two outs in the bottom of the 13th, Albers retired pinch-hitter Kevin Plawecki on a groundout to end a 4-hour, 41-minute game.
Chicago's bullpen, which wasted late leads in three games at Kansas City last weekend, pitched 13 scoreless innings against the Mets in the three-game series.
On the fourth anniversary of Johan Santana throwing the only no-hitter in Mets' history, Jacob deGrom dominated except for Frazier's tying seventh-inning home run, which went over the original 16-foot wall behind the current left-field fence. He struck out 10 — reaching double digits for the first time since August — fanning the side in the third inning. He allowed five hits and a pair of walks.
Miguel Gonzalez remained winless in 14 starts since beating Tampa Bay on July 25 and is 0-7 with a 5.90 ERA in that span. While he walked the leadoff hitter in four of five innings — and walked deGrom twice — he allowed just three hits and Chicago turned three double plays behind him.
New York, which scored six runs in the three-game series, got its only run Wednesday on Rivera's RBI single in the second. The Mets' offense struggled in May, when the team's .211 batting average was the lowest in the major leagues, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
New York's Michael Conforto struck out a career-high four times and grounded into a double play on a 0-for-6 afternoon, part of a 1-for-22 slide that has dropped his average to .252. The Mets' offense spent much of the afternoon without Yoenis Cespedes, who spoke with manager Terry Collins after Tuesday's loss and asked for his first day off from the starting lineup since April 27. He took a called third strike when he pinch hit in the ninth inning and has one hit in his last 24 at-bats.
CUT SHORT
Hansel Robles relieved for the Mets to start the 12th and left with one out and a 3-2 count on Alex Avila after appearing to hurt his back. He walked slowly to the dugout and left-hander Jerry Blevins ran in from the bullpen, only to realize Collins had called for right-hander Verrett to come in. Blevins returned, Verrett warmed up and induced a pair of groundouts.
TRAINER'S ROOM
White Sox: OF Austin Jackson missed the series because of turf toe in his left foot, but White Sox manager Robin Ventura said he should be able to play this weekend.
Mets: 3B David Wright was to see another specialist Wednesday about the herniated disk in his neck. ... RHP Zack Wheeler (Tommy John surgery) is to meet the team in Miami and throw a bullpen session.
UP NEXT
White Sox: LHP Carlos Rodon (2-4) is scheduled to pitch Friday's series opener at Detroit, which goes with RHP Ryan Zimmermann (7-2).
Mets: RHP Noah Syndergaard (5-2, 1.84) starts Friday's series opener at Miami, and RHP Tom Koehler (3-5) is on the mound for the Marlins.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press.
