Ivan Nova stayed hot, Gerrit Cole was scratched and the White Sox gained a doubleheader split against the Astros Tuesday night.
Nova, Sox’ veteran right-hander in their starting rotation, pitching his second complete game of the season, improved to 4-0 with 0.49 ERA in his last five starts by pitching nine innings of one-run ball — the only Astros run scored against him in the third inning was unearned — in a 4-1 Sox victory at Guaranteed Rate Field.
The Sox caught a break when Astros All-Star Gerrit Cole, 14-5 with a 2.87 ERA, halted his pregame warmup when he felt discomfort in his right hamstring and was scratched. The Sox (53-64) scored three runs in the second against right-hander Chris Devenski on an RBI single by Adam Engel and two-run single by Ryan Goins, and Ryan Cordell doubled home Yolmer Sanchez against Joe Biagini in the fourth, which was more than enough for Nova (8-9), who retired 17 of the last 18 batters he faced.
Nova allowed four hits and no walks and struck out three while lowering his ERA to 4.51.
“I’m locating my pitches better and throwing way more strikes,” Nova said.
It was Nova’s 10th complete game of his career. He threw 104 pitches, 69 for strikes.
“I know they are really aggressive,” Nova said of the Astros (78-42). “I was watching the first game and I saw [Dylan] Cease getting nine ground balls in a row, when they were swinging at the first, second pitch. My focus was trying to get ahead in the count and pitch up in the strike zone a little bit more.”
Sox starting pitchers own a 1.33 ERA over the last six games.
Cole had been 10-0 with a 1.98 ERA in his last 14 starts.
“We’ll get him tested even further to see where this takes us,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. “He doesn’t think it’s serious.”
Garcia misses third straight game
Leury Garcia has a bruised right index finger from a slide into third base, Renteria revealed before the doubleheader. Garcia, who did not start either game Tuesday, was said to be “under the weather” when he was scratched from the lineup Sunday but he missed his third straight start.
Garcia had reached base safely in a career-high 20 consecutive games.
Status quo for Moncada
Renteria offered no update on third baseman Yoan Moncada, who has been out with a strained right hamstring since July 31. Moncada was on the field early doing running exercises with director of conditioning Allen Thomas.
“He continues to improve but I really don’t have a window for you today,” Renteria said.
This and that
Anderson’s throwing error, his major league leading 20th error of the season, led to an Astros unearned run in Game 2.
*Welington Castillo offered no excuses for his three passed balls in Game 1, Renteria said.
*The doubleheader necessitates a spot start from Hector Santiago will likely be needed the next time through the rotation, Renteria said.
*James McCann will receive his White Sox Heart and Hustle Award Wednesday pregame. Harold Baines will present the award. The overall winner of the award will be announced in November.
*Lucas Giolito ranks fifth in the American League with an average of 11.26 strikeouts per nine innings, which would be the second-best mark in Sox history among qualifying pitchers behind Chris Sale (11.82) in 2015.
