The struggling Chicago White Sox will turn to left-hander Garrett Crochet as they look to end a season-high nine-game losing streak when they visit the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday afternoon.
Crochet (5-5, 3.68 ERA), who posted a 4-1 record with an 0.93 ERA in five starts in May, will be opposed by Brewers rookie left-hander Robert Gasser (2-0, 1.96).
The Brewers rallied to record a 12-5 win in the series opener Friday on the strength of a season-high 23 hits. Christian Yelich went 5-for-6 with two doubles and three singles. His 300th career double keyed a six-run Milwaukee seventh inning.
William Contreras, Brice Turang and Sal Frelick had three hits apiece for the Brewers, who left 16 on base and did not hit a home run.
“I think you kind of see that we can be dynamic at times. I don’t think we hit one homer tonight,” Yelich said. “That’s kind of an example of what we can do as far as traffic, manufacturing runs, taking extra bases (and) stealing bases. We’ve got some guys that can hit for some power, too.
“There’s going to be tough stretches, and that’s just how baseball works. The thing about that is, if you can score in multiple ways, it kind of shortens the tough stretches.”
Milwaukee, which is a season-high 11 games above .500, is 11-3 in its last 14 homes games after a 5-7 start at home.
As for tough stretches, the White Sox have lost 13 of their last 14 games. Chicago is 2-17 in series openers, including 0-9 on the road.
Gasser tossed six scoreless innings his last time out, allowing three hits with a career-high seven strikeouts on Monday. He did not get the decision, however, in the Brewers’ 5-1 win over the Chicago Cubs.
Opponents are batting .250 against Gasser, but he has walked just one in 23 innings and has not allowed a home run. Milwaukee is 4-0 in his starts.
Milwaukee got an offensive boost before Friday’s game when Rhys Hoskins was activated off the injured list after missing 15 games with a strained right hamstring.
Hoskins, still tied for the team lead with nine homers despite the missed time, had a pair of singles in five at-bats as the designated hitter Friday.
Crochet, who will make his first career appearance vs. Milwaukee, is 4-1 with a 1.32 ERA in his last six starts, with 45 strikeouts in 34 innings. He leads the majors with an average of 12.02 strikeouts per nine innings pitched.
Crochet was 1-3 with a 6.91 ERA in six starts in April, giving up seven homers. He allowed two homers in his five starts in May.
His only loss in May was in his last start, when he allowed two runs on three hits in six innings in a 4-1 defeat to the Orioles on Sunday, although he fanned 11. He gave up a two-run homer that ended a streak of 24 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings.
“He’s been outstanding for us all year,” catcher Korey Lee told the Chicago Tribune after Crochet’s last start. “He’s been throwing strikes; he’s been saving our bullpen. He wanted to go out there for his last inning also, and it’s nice to see some fight in a pitcher like that.”
–Field Level Media