Toronto @ Chicago preview
Guaranteed Rate Field
Last Meeting ( May 8, 2010 ) Toronto 3, Chi. White Sox 7
The way the Toronto Blue Jays had been playing, it was going to take a near-perfect effort to beat them. On Saturday night, Jake Peavy gave the Chicago White Sox just that.
Peavy set down the first 16 batters of the game as the Chicago White Sox snapped Toronto’s six-game winning streak with a 7-3 decision.
The two teams meet again this afternoon in the finale of the four-game series at U.S. Cellular Field.
Peavy was masterful for the White Sox for the second straight outing. After being acquired from the San Diego Padres last season, the right-hander went 3-0 for Chicago after two long stints on the sideline with ankle and elbow injuries.
This season had been quite different. Peavy had four poor outings in five appearances before finding his groove against the Kansas City Royals in a 5-1 win. In that game, he allowed four hits and no runs in seven innings. On Saturday night, he took things a step further.
John Buck broke up the perfect game, no-hitter and shutout with one swing with one out in the sixth inning.
Buck, continuing a recent power surge, blasted his eighth home run of the season. He has six homers in his last nine games including a pair on Friday night.
The White Sox got a boost from the return of their own slugger, Paul Konerko, who had missed the first two games of the series with a sore neck. Konerko hit a two-run in the first inning to give the White Sox a lead they never relinquished.
Konerko leads the majors with 13 home runs.
Gordon Beckham also contributed to Saturday’s effort. Beckham was benched by manager Ozzie Guillen after a miserable game on Thursday night when the second baseman made two errors and struck out three times.
On Saturday, Beckham had an RBI on a bases-loaded walk in the second inning. He also scored ahead of Konerko’s homer in the first.
Ricky Romero will try to start another streak today for the Blue Jays. Romero, the centerpiece of an improving rotation, is 3-1 on the season with a 3.00 ERA. He also has fanned 40 batters in 42 innings.
Romero has beaten Oakland and Cleveland in his last two starts.
A struggling Gavin Floyd will start for the White Sox. Chicago had hoped that Floyd could regain some of the form that led the 27-year-old right-hander to 17 wins in 2008 but he has been roughed up for much of the season.
In his last outing, Floyd yielded 13 hits and six runs in 6 1/3 innings and watched his ERA balloon to 6.89.