Yankees 2 - 3 White Sox
Final
  for this game

Sale sparkles in return, ChiSox beat Yanks

May 23, 2014 - 4:27 AM Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi had a matter-of-fact reaction to watching Chris Sale blow through his lineup with ease.

"He's been tough against us for a few years now and we know what he's capable of doing," Girardi said. "We weren't able to do much."

Next to nothing, really.

Sale retired the first 17 batters he faced coming off the disabled list and gave up just one hit in six innings, leading the Chicago White Sox to a 3-2 win over the Yankees on Thursday night to open a four-game series.

In his first start since April 17, Sale (4-0) showed no rust coming back from a flexor muscle strain in his pitching arm, which forced the first DL stint of his career.

The left-hander struck out 10 of the 19 batters he faced and threw 54 of his 86 pitches for strikes.

He was perfect through 5 2/3 innings before Zoilo Almonte lined a single to center -- one of only two balls New York hit out of the infield against Sale, who knew he was on a pitch count and didn't think they'd let him throw more than 90.

"I knew I was out after the sixth," he said. "I just tried to be efficient -- first-pitch strikes and things like that."

Mark Teixeira hit a two-run single off Ronald Belisario in the ninth inning, but Belisario struck out Alfonso Soriano to end the game and pick up his second save, preserving the win for Sale.

The White Sox started a 10-game homestand after finishing a 4-5 road trip in Kansas City on Wednesday.

The Yankees remained in Chicago after beating the Cubs in 13 innings Wednesday to split a two-game series that kicked off a nine-game road trip.

David Phelps (1-1) took the loss, giving up two runs on six hits and a walk in seven innings. He struck out eight, but was overshadowed by Sale, who struck out the side in the first and third innings and had eight Ks through four.

The Yankees worked long counts early on -- Almonte struck out to end the third inning, but saw nine pitches -- and Sale had 64 pitches through four frames.

But he needed just eighth pitches to retire the side in the fifth inning, when Yangervis Solarte was the first Yankees player to reach the outfield on a fly ball to center.

Meanwhile, the White Sox took a 2-0 lead with a two-out rally in the second inning that was sparked by Paul Konerko's double. Konerko scored on Alejandro De Aza's ground-rule double and Adam Eaton added an RBI single.

The eventual winning run scored on Adam Dunn's two-out RBI single off Alfredo Aceves in the eighth inning.

Game Notes

Sale has allowed three runs or fewer in each of his five starts this season ... Eaton had two hits ... The game lasted 2 hours and 45 minutes.






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