Quentin's slam leads ChiSox past Angels
Posted: Thu May 15 2:18 AM
Anaheim, CA (Sports Network) - Carlos Quentin hit his first career grand slam and Jose Contreras threw seven solid innings, as the Chicago White Sox got back on track with a 6-1 win over the LA Angels of Anaheim.
Contreras (4-3) gave up one run on four hits and three walks for Chicago, which snapped a three-game losing streak.
Quentin finished 2-for-4 with five runs batted in to pace the White Sox's offense, while Nick Swisher added a solo homer and Orlando Cabrera added a pair of hits.
"Hopefully this is the start of a real good streak," Contreras said. "My forkball was great and my fastball was good. I felt under control with all my pitches."
John Lackey made his season debut for the Angels after being sidelined with a strained right triceps since March 21. In seven innings he allowed just one run on six hits and a walk, and struck out four, but didn't factor into the decision after Scot Shields (2-1) collapsed in relief.
Shields didn't record an out, and allowed three hits, the last one being Quentin's grand slam. Mike Napoli had one of the Angels' five hits -- all singles -- and drove in their lone run.
Los Angeles had won the first two games of this four-game set that concludes Thursday.
The teams were tied at 1-1 heading into the eighth, which Juan Uribe started with a single. Cabrera followed with a hit to the hole in short, which shortstop Erick Aybar got to on the backhand. Aybar made the throw as he was backpedaling, though, and tossed the ball well over the first baseman's head as the runners advanced to scoring position.
Shields then intentionally walked A.J. Pierzynski, but Quentin erased any hope for a force out by getting the head of the bat on a low fastball and blasting it over the wall in left-center for his American League-leading 10th homer of the season, and a 5-1 Chicago lead.
"I was thinking single up the middle, but the ball hit the bat well and you saw the results," Quentin said. "The story of the day was Jose Contreras. He threw the ball great."
Justin Speier was able to work out of the inning without further damage, but the White Sox added another run in the ninth when Swisher belted a solo shot to right-center.
Chicago took an early lead when Quentin singled in Cabrera in the first inning. But Napoli's sacrifice fly in the fifth plated Maicer Izturis for the equalizer. Game Notes
The series finale pits Chicago's Javier Vazquez against the Angels' Jon Garland...Bobby Jenks and Scott Linebrink each threw a scoreless inning of relief for the White Sox...Attendance was 37,059.
