CHICAGO (AP) — Luis Robert Jr. homered in the first inning and five Chicago pitchers combined on a three-hitter as the White Sox beat Chris Sale and the Atlanta Braves 1-0 on Thursday.
Sale (10-3) struck out a season-high 11 in seven innings against his original team. The 35-year-old lefty allowed four hits and walked one in a fourth straight solid start. He was touched up only when Robert connected on a low-inside slider for his eighth home run.
“I was throwing slider. He was hitting slider and he put a good swing on it,” Sale said. “Not too often a first-inning solo homer wins a game, but it happens.”
Chicago ended a four-game slide and won for just the second time in nine games. The White Sox have the worst record in the majors at 22-61.
Atlanta has lost two in a row and three of four.