SEATTLE -- It just wasn’t Chicago’s night in a weird one on Monday at T-Mobile Park.
But in the haze of a defeat in which the White Sox were just a click off in several phases of the game and a rare obstruction call muddled the picture even further, a bigger development for Chicago quietly kept progressing.
Sure, the 6-1 loss to the struggling Mariners briefly took away the momentum the White Sox had gained with their two consecutive dramatic wins over the crosstown Cubs over the weekend.
But looking ahead, if the South Siders are going to be championship-caliber anytime soon, it would help that their 6-foot-10, 22-year-old left-hander, Noah Schultz, continues to improve.
That seemed to be the case on Monday.
Despite the loss, Schultz had his moments, going 5 1/3 innings and giving up three runs on five hits while striking out six. Even more important for Schultz was the fact that he didn’t walk a batter after issuing a season-high five free passes in his previous start, although he did hit two batters.
“No walks,” Schultz said when asked what he felt good about. “I did hit two guys, but I think that no walks was definitely a step in the right direction, something that we're really trying to get down to limit that number. I did a lot of things right.”
Schultz came within two outs and maybe a few extra feet of infield dirt of a quality start when the White Sox lost a run and the services of their manager for the final six-plus innings on a strange play.
With Chicago trailing, 1-0, with two outs in the bottom of the third inning and Seattle catcher Jhonny Pereda on first base, Mariners outfielder Randy Arozarena lined a double off the base of the wall in left field.
On his way around the bases in an attempt to score, Pereda briefly collided with White Sox second baseman Sam Antonacci, who was lingering in the middle of the basepath near the shortstop position as Chicago shortstop Colson Montgomery moved to the shallow outfield grass to receive a relay throw from left fielder Tristan Peters.
Pereda pushed himself off Montgomery and continued to hustle around third base as he was waved home by Mariners third-base coach Carlos Cardoza. Cardoza’s send initially looked like a bad decision when Pereda was cut down by Montgomery by at least 10 feet, but it had already been ruled that Antonacci had obstructed Pereda.
“I just didn't know where I was supposed to be,” Antonacci said. “It’s something that I'll have to go to bed tonight knowing, but something to get better at. … It's just inexcusable.”
After the entire umpiring crew conferred, the obstruction ruling was upheld and Pereda’s run was allowed to stand. That infuriated White Sox manager Will Venable, who was ejected from the game while arguing with home-plate umpire Tripp Gibson.
“I obviously didn't agree with that call,” Venable said. “Obviously there was obstruction there, and you get some protection, but when you're thrown out by 30 feet, it's not supposed to protect you like that. And they disagreed with that.”
It was the usually laid-back Venable’s first ejection of the season.
“It's good to know he's got our backs,” Peters said. “He's a pretty chill guy, too. He doesn't get emotional too often, and I think he knows when to pick his spots. And he did.”
Otherwise, the White Sox knocked on the door vs. Mariners starter Bryan Woo but couldn’t cash in, striking out eight times in Woo’s six innings of work.
They didn’t score until the seventh, when Peters lofted a two-out solo home run to right field off Seattle reliever Eduard Bazardo. But after they chased Bazardo with a Drew Romo single and a Chase Meidroth walk, Seattle lefty José A. Ferrer got pinch-hitter Randal Grichuk to fly out to center field to end the threat.
Then Mariners rookie Colt Emerson’s three-run homer off White Sox reliever Trevor Richards -- his first Major League hit -- effectively put the game away in the eighth.