It's been a spring of ups and downs for the Chicago White Sox, but things were mostly down on Wednesday in a pair of Cactus League games against NL West squads. Going with split squads to face the Colorado Rockies in Scottsdale and the San Diego Padres in Glendale, both White Sox teams got smacked around in what was presumably a frustrating day for the organization.
The first loss came against San Diego, which had little trouble getting to Chicago's array of pitching fodder. The starter, Dylan Axelrod, gave the White Sox a decent effort with three runs allowed on eight hits in nearly six innings of work, but the bullpen quickly unraveled.
Terry Doyle gave up six runs while getting just four outs and Leyson Septimo replaced him to finish the eighth inning but gave up another four runs before ending it. Chase Headley was the star for San Diego with a double, home run, walk and 4 RBI.
Things were nearly as rough against the Rockies, who pounded Gavin Floyd en route to a 8-5 victory. The White Sox starter only gave up two runs in his first five innings, but he fell apart in a brutal six-run sixth inning. The bullpen prevented additional damage, but a ninth inning comeback fell short.
After failing to score for six innings, the White Sox offense came alive in the ninth inning as Chicago mustered a bit of a rally. Trailing by six runs, the White Sox managed to get the tying run on deck, but infield prospect Tyler Saladino struck out on three pitches to end the game.
Chicago did get some nice hitting performances despite the defeat, with Gordon Beckham, Paul Konerko, Jordan Danks and Saladino getting on base three times apiece against Colorado.
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