Aaron Harang threw six strong innings, but the White Sox (11-15) prevailed against the Dodgers (12-11-4) before an announced crowd of 5,091 at Camelback Ranch. [box score]
Harang allowed six hits — all singles — walked one, and struck out six in six innings. Three of those singles came in the fifth inning, allowing Chicago to score its only run against the 6-foot-7 right-hander. Harang threw 104 pitches, 66 for strikes, and left with the score tied 1-1. In his last two starts, spanning 11 innings, he has allowed two runs and 11 hits.
Reliever Josh Lindblom allowed a solo home run to Trayce Thompson in the seventh inning and Scott Rice served up an RBI single to Adam Dunn in the eighth.
The Dodgers got their only run when Josh Fields singled and came around to score on an A.J. Ellis sacrifice fly in the fifth inning.
Two days after bunting a ball into his groin, Juan Uribe went 2-for-3. Juan Rivera doubled and a single by Ellis accounted for the Dodgers’ fifth hit of the game.
A few more notes:
Josh Bard and Cory Sullivan were released from their minor-league contracts after the game. Bard, a catcher, was hitting .111 (2-for-18) and Sullivan, an outfielder, hit .297 (11-for-37). Both were in camp as non-roster invitees, leaving the major-league roster at 37.
Luis Cruz spelled Fields in left field in the fifth inning; manager Don Mattingly said this was planned in advance to give both players a look at that position.
The team’s “eighth reliever” could become an actual job, if Ted Lilly begins the season on the disabled list. Lilly is throwing a bullpen session tomorrow that the team will use to determine whether he can make his first scheduled regular-season start. If he can’t, Mattingly said Thursday that Lilly will go on the DL and the team will carry eight relievers. The right-handed Lindblom and the left-handed Rice are both in the running; their spring ERAs rose to 4.50 and 4.70, respectively.
Only five pitchers off the major-league camp roster are scheduled to pitch against the Cubs tomorrow in Mesa: Fernando Nieve, Mike MacDougal, Scott Elbert, Javy Guerra and Kenley Jansen. All are relievers, but Mattingly said that some (namely Nieve, Jansen and Elbert) could throw more than one inning depending on how the game goes.