Juan Pierre The Hero As Sox Score Winning Run In The Ninth

Thursday evening’s White Sox game in Toronto was the definition of a pitcher’s duel. White Sox starter Philip Humber dueled Brandon Morrow to a standstill, and the Sox bats came alive just in time in the ninth inning to seal a victory for the South Siders.

Humber reeled off another quality start, pitching 7.2 innings of one run baseball, on six hits and a walk, while striking out three. His lone mistake came in the bottom of the sixth inning. At that point, the Sox were up 1-0 after Juan Pierre singled in A.J. Pierzynski. That would be the only run that Brandon Morrow would allow in his seven innings of work, on four hits and two walks, with five strikeouts.

The Jays would come back in the sixth inning as Yunel Escobar led off. Humber got the count to 1-1, but threw a curveball that Escobar launched into the seats for a solo home run. That would be the only scoring for either team until the top of the ninth inning.

Alex Rios led off the inning and reached all the way to second on a throwing error by third baseman John McDonald. After a wild pitch by reliever Mark Rzepczynski, two strikeouts, and Gordon Beckham being hit by a pitch, the Sox found themselves with runners on first and third and two outs. While Pierre was up to bat, Gordon Beckham stole second base. Pierre then hit a single which scored Rios, and then Beckham as well after another Toronto error. Sergio Santos closed out the game for the Sox and recorded his eighth save on the season.

The Sox will take on Toronto in game two of the series on Friday evening. First pitch will be at 6:07 P.M., CDT.

Oh Canada Welcomes White Sox To Take On Blue Jays

The White Sox will continue their lengthy road trip by traveling to Toronto to take on the Blue Jays on Thursday evening. There they hope that they can notch some wins to make up for the two disappointing losses they suffered in Texas. The first game will see Philip Humber take on Brandon Morrow.

Humber, at 3-3 with 3.10 ERA and 0.94 WHIP on the season, has been one of the better cogs in the Sox rotation all year. He's coming off of a start against the Dodgers in which he gave up just two runs on five hits over seven innings, but was still denied a win. Humber has never started against Toronto, but has pitched 2.1 innings of relief against the Blue Jays. Over those innings, he's got a 15.43 ERA and 3.86 WHIP. Edwin Encarnacion is 1-for-1 against Humber with a double.

Pitching for the Jays will be Brandon Morrow. Morrow has been a bit uneven on the year and is currently 2-2 with a 5.06 ERA and 1.44 WHIP. In his last start, against Houston, he gave up four runs on nine hits in six innings. Over his career, Morrow is 0-1 with a 5.79 ERA and 1.71 WHIP against the White Sox. Gordon Beckham is 2-for-4 against Morrow with a double, while Paul Konerko is 1-for-3, also with a double.

The weather in Toronto is expected to be cloudy and cool, with temperatures in the upper-50s at game time. First pitch is at 6:07 P.M., CDT, and the game will be televised on CSN.