MIAMI — Drew Thorpe has been in the majors for almost a month.
Chicago White Sox manager Pedro Grifol has seen the right-hander make strides with each start.
“Every time he takes the ball, he grows,” Grifol said Friday. “He took the ball into the seventh inning today — one out in the seventh. He grows every time he takes the mound.”
Thorpe won his third consecutive start, allowing one run in 6 1/3 innings in the Sox’s 3-2 victory against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot park. It’s the first time this season the Sox won the opener of a road series after entering 0-14 in such scenarios.
“Felt good,” Thorpe said. “I was working, mixing in and out. Changed speeds, kind of kept them off balance.”
Thorpe scattered three hits, struck out five and walked two in the longest outing of his major-league career. He’s 3-1 with a 3.71 ERA in five starts since joining the Sox from Double-A Birmingham on June 11.
“Just (learning) from the guys here,” Thorpe said of the last month.
Thorpe’s previous high was six innings, which he accomplished in each of his previous two starts. He earned his first career victory June 22 in Detroit, allowing two hits in six scoreless innings. He followed it up by allowing two runs on two hits in six innings June 28 against the Colorado Rockies.
He said the opportunity to go back out for the seventh Friday “means a lot.”
“Bullpen day (Thursday in Cleveland), good to save them,” Thorpe said. “Trying to extend as much as possible, knew that’s what I needed to do.”
And his changeup continues to be an effective pitch throughout the game.
“It was good, location was good, played off the fastball really well,” Thorpe said.
One big sequence came in the third. Vidal Bruján led off with a double for the Marlins. Thorpe retired the next three hitters, ending the inning by striking out Bryan De La Cruz on a 92.8 mph fastball with Bruján on third to keep the Sox ahead 1-0.
Thorpe said the approach in that situation was to “stick to the game plan and not do too much.”
The Sox gave him the early lead with an RBI double by Nicky Lopez in the second. Lopez walked and scored on a double by Martín Maldonado in the fourth. Lopez had another RBI double in the fifth, putting the Sox up 3-0.
The Marlins scored once in the seventh, but center fielder Luis Robert Jr. tracked down De La Cruz’s hard-hit liner near the warning track with the bases loaded to end that threat.
“Not many guys can make that play,” Grifol said.
Michael Kopech recorded a four-out save, getting Josh Bell to ground out to first with two on in the ninth to end it.
