CHICAGO — Chicago White Sox pitcher Carlos Rodon received a test in the third inning of his first start since Sept. 1.
Facing Boston Red Sox second baseman Jose Iglesias, Rodon threw a ball on the eighth pitch of the at-bat to make the count full. Iglesias fouled off the next three pitches. Finally, on the 12th pitch, Rodon got Iglesias to swing and miss for a strikeout.
Rodon struck out Kike Hernandez to end the inning with the Red Sox stranding a runner on third.
“I had to reach back for a few,” Roden said. “Got the strikeouts that we needed.”
He allowed one run on three hits in five innings in his return as the White Sox beat the Red Sox 4-3 in front of 34,365 on Friday at Guaranteed Rate Field.
Rodon (12-5) had an extended break for what he called “a little (shoulder) soreness. Just tired and trying to get that arm back going. Nothing worrisome.”
He struck out seven while lowering his ERA to 2.38.
“Felt pretty good, better than last time,” Rodon said. “Velo was a little tick up, which was good. Just went and attacked and got through five.”
The White Sox built a 4-0 lead behind a three-run home run from Jose Abreu on an 0-2 pitch in the third and an RBI single from Luis Robert in the fourth.
“He has a gift to drive in runs,” Robert said through an interpreter of Abreu. “And he also is in the third spot of the lineup for something because we know that the big opportunities are going to come to him and he’s going to respond more often than not.”
Red Sox first baseman Bobby Dalbec hit a solo home run leading off the fifth, the only run Rodon allowed. He retired the next three batters to qualify for the win.
“He had good stuff and he felt good,” Sox manager Tony La Russa said. “He got up to that point where both (pitching coach) Ethan (Katz) and I had thought after the fourth that he had to work harder than we wanted him to to get out of that one.
“He earned a chance to win it. Then he got the one run. But he finished the inning. He’s shown that he’s got that closing ability to get the last out of the inning and not have to turn it over to the bullpen. Five innings, we stretched him and I’m sure we’ll give him enough rest before the next one.”
The Red Sox scored twice in the seventh and brought the go-ahead run to the plate when reliever Garrett Crochet got Kyle Schwarber to fly out to left. Craig Kimbrel struck out Dalbec with a runner on to complete a scoreless eighth inning.
“We got that fourth run and we tried to add but we didn’t add, which is always dangerous,” La Russa said. “But Craig showed how tough he is. Fans were into it and the players were into it, so it was a fun game in that way.”
The Red Sox had the tying run on second with one out in the ninth, but closer Liam Hendriks got a groundout and a flyout for his 34th save.
“Everybody had each other’s backs and we went out there and got the job done,” Kimbrel said. “There’s going to be times where guys go out there and don’t have their best stuff that day, but if we can do our job and come in and put out the fire when momentum’s building, that plays especially when you get into later in the year.
“To be able to do that (Friday) is a good sign.”
And there were plenty positives from Rodon’s 86-pitch outing.
“Just happy to go out there and pitch five innings and give our team a chance to win and let the bullpen take over,” Rodon said. “I’m happy with it. I’d like to go six or seven, but I’m sure that’s coming.
“It’s a check off the list. On to the next one now.”
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