ARLINGTON, Texas — Chicago White Sox starter Garrett Crochet had allowed three first-inning runs all season.
He surrendered two in the first inning Tuesday against the Texas Rangers — the second on a double steal.
Crochet pitched three scoreless frames after that to complete his first outing since the All-Star break during a 3-2 loss in front of a sellout crowd of 39,240 at Globe Life Field.
There were plenty of eyes on Crochet, who has been mentioned in trade speculation. He allowed the two runs on four hits with seven strikeouts and two walks in the 74-pitch outing.
“I felt like I just had trouble finding the strike zone early on,” Crochet said. “Missing my spots, just tried my best to compete. From the second inning on, I started commanding it a little better.”
Crochet called Tuesday’s shortened start a special circumstance.
“I threw 28 pitches in two innings against Pittsburgh (on July 12) and then 18 in the All-Star Game, so it made sense for it to be a shortened start, especially with the elongated rest period,” he said. “Kind of rebuild back up into that normal workload.
“It just comes down to getting through the entire season healthy and there’s not really a set guideline, this hadn’t really happened before (with his transition from the bullpen to starting). We’re all just trying to get on the same page, execute the plan. Tonight that was the plan and we executed it. Just go from here.”
Crochet allowed three singles in the first. The third, by Adolis García, brought home Robbie Grossman with the game’s first run. Josh Smith went to third on García’s hit.
With Nathaniel Lowe at the plate, García attempted to steal second. Shortstop Nicky Lopez caught the throw from catcher Korey Lee as Smith began his way to the plate. Lopez didn’t make a throw, and García successfully made his way to second.
Manager Pedro Grifol said if he had to do it over again, the Sox would have instructed Lee to hold on to the ball.
“Our catchers really throw well, we like throwing the ball to second base,” Grifol said. “If we had to do it all over again, I wouldn’t throw the ball right there. We have the major-league strikeout leader on the mound against a left-handed hitter. Go ahead steal second base and I’ll take my chances on Crochet striking out Lowe, which he did.”
Crochet settled in after the first, allowing one hit in his final three innings.
“He did a really good job of competing, making pitches when he had to,” Grifol said. “Could he have gone a little bit further? Sure. But he had a pretty long break so this is a good start for him in the second half and we’ll see where we take it from there.”
Crochet’s next scheduled start is Sunday against the Seattle Mariners at Guaranteed Rate Field. Of course, that’s keeping in mind the trade rumors.
“It’s definitely something I’m aware of as the (July 30) deadline approaches,” Crochet said of the speculation. “But out of my control. Once the deadline comes and goes, whatever happens, happens. Right now, we’re fighting as a team while we still are one.
“Who knows what’s going to happen. We all may still be here in a week and it’s going to seem like we had those conversations for no reason. But until then, wait and see.”
After getting in the early hole on Tuesday, the Sox missed an opportunity to respond in the second. Gavin Sheets began the inning with a single and Eloy Jiménez followed with his first extra-base hit in 51 at-bats — a double. But Paul DeJong struck out, Lopez popped out to shortstop Jonathan Ornelas and Brooks Baldwin struck out as the Sox failed to capitalize.
They did get to Rangers starter Jon Gray for a two-out run in the third when Andrew Vaughn drove in Lee with a single.
Vaughn’s hit was the team’s last until Andrew Benintendi homered leading off the ninth against reliever Josh Sborz. The Sox finished with five hits while losing their ninth straight game. At 27-76, the Sox are a season-high 49 games under .500.
