John Danks Returns From Injury, White Sox Win
The Chicago White Sox win 6-2 Monday over the World Series Champion San Francisco Giants as John Danks returns from shoulder surgery. The lefthander out of Austin, Texas was the opening day starter for the White Sox last season.
Danks lasted nine games before being shut down in late July, which was followed by arthroscopic surgery on his rotator cuff and biceps. John Danks has made 159 starts in his MLB career going 57-60. His best season in most recent history was 2010 when he posted a 15-11 record with a 3.73 earned run average.
Ryan Vogelsong started in Monday’s game for the Giants and had a rough outing. In three innings pitched, Vogelsong gave up three runs on four hits. John Danks pitched two innings and gave up two hits, one being a home run off the bat of Joaquin Arias. Throwing 27 out of 35 pitches for strikes after not pitching since last May is the real focus.
“I feel good right now,” Danks said about his first outing this spring. “The test will be tomorrow and the next day. So far, so good.”
Giants starter Matt Cain also pitched three innings, coming in the game out of the bullpen which you will never see in the regular season. Cain struggled as well, giving up two runs on five hits.
Dewayne Wise, most known for his ridiculous catch to preserve Mark Buehrle’s perfect game in 2009, went 2-3 on the day with a home run and three runs batted in for the White Sox. Paul Konerko drove in a run and Jeff keppinger went 3-3 with a stolen base to aid in John Danks return. Seven White Sox hitters had at least one hit in the game that went scoreless after five innings.
The White Sox will scrimmage Team USA Tuesday and play again Thursday against their inner-city rival, the Chicago Cubs. They then take on San Diego Friday before a meeting with the Diamondbacks Saturday.
The San Francisco Giants take on the Cleveland Indians Tuesday and Thursday, followed by a contest with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Chicago White Sox are sure to be happy with Monday’s result as John Danks returns and throws a mixture of fastballs and changeups in the 6-2 win over the defending champs.
