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Jul 11, 2015 - 1:42 AM Chris Sale fell short of a strikeout streak record in his last start but had no problem settling for a victory.

The Chicago White Sox have had a lot of those recently, and they'll look for another Saturday when they send their ace to the mound in a marquee pitching matchup against Jon Lester and the Chicago Cubs.

Playing for the last-place White Sox (40-44) has kept Sale's win total relatively low, but a case can easily be made he's the toughest pitcher to face in the AL. The left-hander is tied for second in strikeouts (147) and leads the league in opponent batting average (.205) and WHIP (0.94).

Sale (7-4, 2.80 ERA) was unable to become the first pitcher to strike out 10-plus hitters in nine straight games Monday against Toronto, instead settling for a six-hitter with six strikeouts in a 4-2 win.

He shares the major league record with Pedro Martinez, who fanned at least 10 in eight consecutive games in 1999.

''I'll take this outcome over that any day,'' Sale said. ''I mean, it's one of those things, it's cool, it's fine. But we won the game, and I'm not gonna pout at all.''

Monday's outing marked the seventh time in eight starts Sale allowed two runs or fewer, posting a 1.62 ERA with 93 strikeouts over 61 innings during that span.

He's been equally dominant in nine starts against the NL, going 4-0 with a 1.97 ERA, but this will be his first start against the Cubs after two relief appearances in 2011.

While the White Sox still bring up the rear in the Central, they're surging toward the All-Star break. Carlos Rodon grinded through six innings and pinch-hitter J.B. Shuck delivered a sacrifice fly in the eighth, lifting the White Sox to a 1-0 victory in Friday's series opener.

The South Siders won for the eighth time in 10 games, a span in which they have a 1.91 ERA with the rotation providing eight quality starts.

"Right now, we've put ourselves in a spot where we have to play this way," manager Robin Ventura told MLB's official website. "I don't know if it could be desperate, but you realize the position you put yourself in. ... Every out counts. All that stuff you hear, that might be clichés, it's the truth of where we put ourselves."

The pitching has needed to be outstanding because the offense has averaged 2.9 runs in that 10-game span while hitting .186 with runners in scoring position.

Jose Abreu had one of the team's five hits Friday and has hit safely in 12 straight games. He's 3 for 6 against Lester (4-7, 3.48), who has gone nine starts since his last victory May 16.

The left-hander has a 1.72 ERA in his past five starts but has received a meager two runs of support in those games, resulting in an 0-2 record.

Lester was in complete control Monday against St. Louis, taking a no-hitter into his seventh and final inning before allowing two unearned runs and striking out eight in a 6-0 loss.

''I had pretty good command of everything,'' Lester said.

He is 3-0 with a 1.57 ERA in past three starts against the White Sox, all coming with Boston.

The Cubs (46-39) hit into five double plays - four in the first four innings - Friday and have split the first eight games on this 10-game homestand. They were limited to three hits but failed to capitalize on seven walks.

Sale will be the second of three left-handers the Cubs will face in this series. They are 9-5 against lefties this season.