CHICAGO _ Reports that White Sox catcher Welington Castillo will be suspended for 80 games for using a performance-enhancing drug put a damper on an 11-1 win against the Orioles on Wednesday.
Dominican journalist Americo Celado S. first reported that Major League Baseball planned to hand down an suspension on Thursday for "steroid use." The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal confirmed through sources that Castillo would be suspended for violating baseball's Joint Drug Agreement, but was told that the prohibited substance wasn't steroids.
The Sox did not confirm the reports during the game and the Tribune could not immediately verify them.
Earlier this week, manager Rick Renteria benched Castillo for not hustling to first base on a pop-up and Castillo expressed regret to reporters the next day.
There were no outward signs during the game that Castillo's teammates were aware of or were affected by the reports. In other bad news, outfielder Leury Garcia sprained his left knee while stealing third base and left the game.
Yoan Moncada hit a three-run home run and plenty of other Sox bats came to life. Adam Engel added a two-run shot to left field in the fifth, his first since Sept. 11 at Kansas City, and Jose Rondon hit his first-career blast to right field in the seventh. It was the fourth time this season the Sox score 10 or more runs, the last on April 23.
Jose Abreu capped a miserable outing for Baltimore starter Alex Cobb with an RBI double in the fourth inning that pushed the Sox to a 6-1 lead.
The hit parade nearly overshadowed Dylan Covey's performance. Coming into the game, the young right-hander had a dubious streak hanging over his head _ 13 straight starts without a win, the longest in White Sox history. He certainly put that to bed, giving up an earned run on six hits and striking out eight in a career-high seven innings to notch his first major-league victory.
Covey had given up at least three runs in each of his last five starts before Wednesday. But Sox manager Rick Renteria emphasized before the game that he had been doing a better attacking the strike zone lately while working in Triple-A Charlotte before his call-up Saturday. Covey threw 65 of his 103 pitches for strikes.
The 68-degree temperature at Guaranteed Rate Field seemed to agree with Sox batters, six of whom had at least a single, but the Orioles just seemed discombobulated. Tim Anderson drove in run No. 7 after three Orioles gave chase but the ball dropped in shallow center field. The Sox stole four bases (though one was uncontested), and after his theft, Engel advanced to third on a wild pitch.
Garcia strung together back-to-back steals but came up limping while keeping his foot on third base.
DH Matt Davidson was a late scratch with back stiffness, giving Rondon a rare appearance. Rondon made the most of it, seizing on reliever Tanner Scott's 0-1 fastball to score Trayce Thompson.
