Daily Dose: Fire Sale

Randy Johnson stopped pitching in the major leagues six years ago, but you wouldn’t know it by watching Chris Sale.

“He’s the closest thing to Randy Johnson I think that we’ve seen in a long time,” said Cubs manager Joe Maddon.

Comparing a 26-year-old to a five-time Cy Young winner and soon-to-be Hall of Famer might seem a tad presumptuous—unless you’ve seen Sale throw a baseball recently.

Sale, a 6’6” windmill of arms and legs, obliterated the Cubs Saturday in a 5-1 White Sox victory. In seven near-flawless innings, he allowed just six hits, one run and one walk, striking out 10 with four groundouts and eight fly-outs. On paper, it was a masterpiece. In reality, it was Sale’s worst start this month.

“Obviously he pitched a good game but I’ve seen him better,” said White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper. “I’ll take this every time, but I’ve seen him better.”

The White Sox left-hander has set the bar pretty high for himself. Saturday he became the first pitcher in the modern era (that dates back to 1900) to fan 10 hitters in seven consecutive road starts in a single season. He’s also the first White Sox starter to record 10 strikeouts against the Cubs since Ed Walsh did it in 1906. That came in Game 3 of the World Series.

The 300-strikeout club hasn’t had a new member since 2002. With double-digit Ks in nine of his last 10 starts, Sale might finally get an invite. Right now, he’s on pace for 299.

The surging White Sox have allowed just one run in their last three games. Jonathan Herrera’s RBI double in the seventh broke a streak of 30 consecutive scoreless innings. That was Chicago’s longest streak since 1986 and just five innings shy of their team record from 1965.

Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant went 0-for-3 against Sale with three strikeouts. This continues Sale’s trend of making the league’s best rookies look like tee-ballers. Bryant, Byron Buxton and Joey Gallo are a combined 0-for-13 against the left-hander this year with 13 Ks.

Speaking of rookies, White Sox 3B Tyler Saladino collected his first hit on Saturday, smoking an RBI triple off Jon Lester in the first inning.

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Marlins Lose Gordon

For the Marlins, it’s been a season full of ups and downs. Saturday’s game against the Reds was no different.

The Marlins won easily behind a 14-run barrage that included a team record nine straight hits in the seventh inning. Of course, the victory cost them their second-best player.

Dee Gordon dislocated his left thumb Saturday diving headfirst to beat out an infield single. It was Gordon’s third hit of the night. If the injury was as bad as it looked, it might be his last for a long time.

Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reported Gordon doesn’t have any ligament damage and his thumb isn’t broken. As encouraging as that may sound, a stint on the disabled list still seems likely. That’s par for the course as nine of Miami’s 25 Opening Day players have also landed there. Colorado shortstop Troy Tulowitzki has already been chosen to replace Gordon for Tuesday night’s All-Star Game in Cincinnati.

Gordon’s impact, both in real life and fantasy, cannot be overstated. The 27-year-old leads the majors in hits (122) and is second in stolen bases (33). Other than Gordon and Giancarlo Stanton, Adeiny Hechavarria is the only Marlin ranked in the top 100 in wins above replacement. He and Michael Brantley are in a tie for 98th.

Mat Latos, a trade chip the Marlins could have used to acquire a hitter, missed Saturday’s start after a foul ball hit his toe Thursday night. Adam Conley got the start in his place, picking up his first career win. He’s the 11th starter the Marlins have used this year. This truly is the Charlie Brown of baseball teams.

Buchholz Sidelined

Though it’s mostly by default, Clay Buchholz is Boston’s best starting pitcher by a wide margin. Unfortunately, he’s about as durable as a pair of Wal-Mart sunglasses.

Buchholz went on the disabled list Saturday with what is being called a right flexor strain. Most of you probably assume that’s code for “immediate Tommy John surgery.” That doesn’t appear to be the case as Buchholz’ MRI didn’t show any ligament damage or anything else out of the ordinary.

Of course, that doesn’t guarantee a speedy recovery. Buchholz is a famously slow healer, having spent an average of 53 days on the disabled list during his last five stints. One of Boston’s top prospects, Brian Johnson, will get the first crack at replacing Buchholz. The 24-year-old left-hander has gone 8-6 with a crisp 2.73 ERA in 16 outings for Triple-A Pawtucket. He’s also sixth in the International League with 81 strikeouts. Johnson hasn’t thrown more than 98 pitches in any of his starts, so it will be interesting to see how the Red Sox handle his workload.

Meanwhile, the Red Sox snapped their five-game losing streak against the Yankees with a 5-3 triumph Saturday at Fenway Park. Eduardo Rodriguez picked up the win, becoming the youngest Red Sox starter to beat the Bombers since Roger Clemens in 1984.

Jacoby Ellsbury went deep for New York. Ellsbury’s solo blast in the sixth was his first homer in 97 career at-bats against Boston. Saturday also marked the 101st anniversary of Babe Ruth’s first game with the Red Sox.

American League Quick Hits: Rob Refsnyder made his major league debut for the Yankees on Saturday. He started at second base and went 0-for-3 … Alex Rodriguez homered in the first inning for the second straight game. He gave away his batting gloves after both home runs … Rangers castoff Neftali Feliz signed with the Tigers Saturday and pitched a scoreless eighth inning against Minnesota … Detroit manager Brad Ausmus said no one has a set role in the Tigers’ bullpen except for closer Joakim Soria: “I’d love to give guys roles. Nobody’s shown the aptitude for a particular role other than Soria” … Tigers DH Victor Martinez was ejected for the third time in his career on Saturday. Temper tantrum aside, V-Mart’s been crushing it lately. He’s hit .341 with 15 RBI since coming off the disabled list in June … Twins second baseman Brian Dozier was chosen to replace Jose Bautista, who is skipping the All-Star Game to rest his injured shoulder … Carlos Santana notched his fifth steal Saturday against Oakland. That matches a career-high … Scott Kazmir (triceps) completed a 50-pitch bullpen session on Saturday. He’s good to go for his next start … George Springer (wrist) doesn’t enjoy wearing a cast: “I’ve been in this stupid thing for a week. I want to put it in the trash and go play” … Steve Pearce homered Saturday for the first time since May 27 against Houston … Cora Purcell, a 104-year-old Orioles fan, got to throw out the first pitch Saturday at Camden Yards. Somehow, she wasn’t the oldest person to throw a first pitch on Saturday. Evelyn Jones, a 108-year-old Mariners fan, threw out the first pitch at Safeco Field a few hours later.

National League Quick Hits: Bryce Harper launched his 26th round-tripper on Saturday. He needs one more to tie Alfonso Soriano’s team record for most home runs before the All-Star break … Max Scherzer will start Sunday, which means he won’t be available for the All-Star Game on Tuesday. His roster spot will likely go to either Clayton Kershaw or Jeurys Familia … Matt Harvey took Patrick Corbin deep Saturday at Citi Field. It only took him 110 at-bats to hit his first career homer … Mark Reynolds appeared to strike out in the second inning Saturday against the Pirates. Instead it was called a foul tip and Reynolds homered on the next pitch. Pirates catcher Francisco Cervelli confronted home plate umpire Vic Carapazza after the play and was quickly ejected … A.J. Burnett blasted his fourth career homer on Saturday. It came off John Lackey, who allowed a single to previously hitless Jon Lester earlier this week … Burnett is the only active player to have homered off Rick Ankiel. I love that stat … Andrew McCutchen sent the Pirates home with a walk-off homer in the 14th inning. He’s hit .333 with 43 RBI since May 1 … Colorado recalled left-hander Rex Brothers from Triple-A Albuquerque on Saturday. He saved 19 games for the Rockies in 2013 … With 44 thefts, Billy Hamilton now has the Reds' franchise record for most steals before the All-Star break. He stole two bases Saturday including one on a throw back to the pitcher … Braves closer Jason Grilli tore his left Achilles Saturday while covering first base. He’s out for the season … Braves catcher and Yale graduate Ryan Lavarnway left the yard on Saturday. The home run was his first since September 14, 2013 … Brandon Beachy made his first start in 23 months Saturday against Milwaukee. It didn’t go particularly well (4 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 3 BB) but give him props for making it all the way back from his second Tommy John surgery … Saturday was Juan Uribe Bobblehead Night at Dodger Stadium. While this was taking place, Juan Uribe, who no longer plays for the Dodgers, smacked a solo home run for Atlanta.