Yanks rookie Montgomery stifles White Sox

CHICAGO -- Jordan Montgomery filled the role of stopper Monday night, halting the Yankees' six-game road losing streak while tying a season high with seven innings in a 6-5 win over the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field.
The loss dropped the White Sox to a season-low 11 games under .500 at 32-43, and gave them their seventh loss in their past eight games -- including four on their 10-game homestand.
"Things kind of haven't been going our way. Tonight was a good team win," Montgomery said. "That's what I really try to do every time, just try to go out there and give six or seven innings every outing. I definitely wanted to go out there and give my team that tonight."
Montgomery posted one the finest outings of his rookie campaign, allowing runners to reach scoring position just three times and limiting the damage to a second-inning leadoff home run from Todd Frazier. The left-hander kept the walks to just one, matching his June 9 outing by going seven innings and striking out eight, this time allowing just the one run.

"His slider was really good," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "I'm just really happy with what he's doing. He's throwing the ball well. He usually gives us pretty good distance and continues to grow as a pitcher."
Chicago made it interesting in the ninth, as Tim Anderson went the other way for a three-run homer to cut New York's lead to 6-4.

The White Sox had the potential tying run at second following José Abreu's RBI double with one out in the ninth before Aroldis Chapman shut the door, earning his seventh save and securing Montgomery's sixth win.

"I mean, when you can do that to a club, when you can have them bring in some of their key guys in certain situations when they're thinking they might have a five-run lead that gives them room to breathe," White Sox manager Rick Renteria said. "It's never comfortable when the opposition is starting to put pressure on you. That's the type of approach, that's the type of concentration, that's the type of play that we want to have."
• Late rally type of play Renteria expects to see
White Sox left-hander David Holmberg made it further than he had all season by going 5 1/3 innings, but couldn't quite keep the Yankees' bats quiet the second time through the order and didn't get much help from his defense. He allowed six runs (two earned), all of which came in the fourth and sixth innings to bring his ERA to 3.86 as a starter this season.
"The way things have been going, we'll take it right now," New York third baseman Chase Headley said. "It's not always pretty, but we had to find a way to win and we were able to do that. We were able to capitalize on some mistakes."
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Give me an E: Just two innings after a Frazier deflection led to a pair of unearned runs, the Yankees again benefited from unsound defensive play from the White Sox in the sixth. After Holmberg allowed a leadoff homer to Tyler Austin, he botched a comebacker by losing the ball on the transfer to allow Jacoby Ellsbury to reach base. Ellsbury would score on a sacrifice fly from Austin Romine. Another run scored in the frame when Anderson's throw couldn't be hauled in by first baseman Matt Davidson, allowing Headley to score from third and make it 6-1.

"I think for the most part when we address most of those things, for me it's more a lack of focus and concentration, to be honest," Renteria said. "Physical mistakes happen. No question about it. But sometimes it's just a lack of focus and concentration."
"Just a bobble," Holmberg said of the error. "I was reaching in to get it and it just popped out. That's a play I'd like to think I make 100 times out of 100. I've got to make that play."

Hello, bullpen: Austin, who was recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Friday, got every bit of his sixth-inning homer against Holmberg. The ball had an exit velocity of 110.4 mph, per Statcast™, good for the second-hardest hit ball and hardest-hit home run of his short career as it went from the batter's box to the White Sox bullpen in 3.7 seconds. Chicago soon had its bullpen stirring with arms, in part because of Austin's homer -- the first in his career he hadn't hit to the opposite field.

"It felt good, I'll leave it at that," Austin said. "I got a good pitch and I didn't miss it. It was a special night."

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
When Abreu knocked a 101.1-mph fastball from Chapman into right-center field for an RBI double in the ninth, he may have been benefiting from the Yanks closer's decreased spin rate. Chapman's fastball to Abreu had a spin rate of 2,144 rpm, his lowest of 2017, according to Statcast™. Chapman's average spin rate on his fastball is 2,506 rpm.

UNDER FURTHER REVIEW
Yankees shortstop Ronald Torreyes led off the third with a base hit down the left-field line, and tried stretching a single into a double before being thrown out at second base by Melky Cabrera. The Yanks challenged that Yolmer Sánchez's tag came too late, but after a minute-long review, the play was upheld as Torreyes slipped off the bag while Sanchez's tag was being applied.

WHAT'S NEXT
Yankees:Luis Severino (5-2, 3.30 ERA) heads to the mound Tuesday as the Yanks play the second game of a four-game series with the White Sox at 8:10 p.m. ET at Guaranteed Rate Field. The right-hander has been one of the club's best pitchers, but took the loss his last time out vs. the Angels, allowing a season-high six runs (five earned) in six innings.
White Sox: The White Sox send left-hander José Quintana (4-8, 4.69 ERA) to the mound in the second game of a four-game set Tuesday at 7:10 p.m. CT. Quintana has allowed two runs (in 13 2/3 innings) while receiving 20 runs of support in his past two starts.
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