Angels' Matt Shoemaker blanks White Sox for first complete game

ANAHEIM >> Matt Shoemaker didn’t get much air Saturday. His feet barely left the ground after he struck out Justin Moeau to complete a 1-0 victory over the Chicago White Sox.

He hopped off the mound, pumped his fist and smiled broadly as a crowd of 39,620 at Angel Stadium roared its approval.

Shoemaker had zero margin for error in recording his first complete game and his first shutout while also recording a career-best 13 strikeouts. The Angels scored the only run he would need to win in the first iing and he did the rest in extending the White Sox’s scoreless streak to 32 iings.

The right-hander gave up six hits and did not walk a batter in extending his scoreless streak at Angel Stadium to 24 consecutive iings. He threw 115 pitches, including 85 for strikes. He allowed only one ruer past second base, which set up a nerve-jangling ninth iing.

Manager Mike Scioscia could have patted Shoemaker on the back and said, “good job,” after eighth shutout iings and tued the game over to closer Huston Street. Scioscia stuck with Shoemaker, giving him the chance to finish what he started against the struggling White Sox.

“That was great,” Shoemaker said. “I appreciate the trust he had in me.”

Shoemaker (5-9) said he would have campaigned to stay in the game if Scioscia took him out.

“I would have said, ‘C’mon, I got this,’ ” Shoemaker said.

Shoemaker kept the White Sox off balance through eight iings, but he faltered to start the ninth, giving up a leadoff double to Adam Eaton and a one-out single to Melky Cabrera. Left fielder Todd Cuingham’s strong throw kept Eaton from scoring on Cabrera’s sharply-hit ball.

Scioscia could have pulled Shoemaker at that point, but decided against it. Shoemaker rewarded Scioscia’s faith in him by not only keeping pinch-ruer Tyler Saladino at first base and keeping a potential double play in order but then striking out Todd Frazier for the second out.

Shoemaker then got Moeau for his 13th and final strikeout to end the game, the Angels’ second consecutive well-pitched victory after the All-Star break. Shoemaker’s previous best of 12 strikeouts was set in a no-decision against the Baltimore Orioles on May 21, a 3-1 loss.

“He pitched with his back against the wall,” Scioscia said. “I think it was just an exceptional effort, especially getting tired at the end. We all felt he had enough to get through it, and he got big strikeouts against Frazier and Moeau.”

Advertisement

In the end, it was a mental battle as well as a physical one for Shoemaker, according to Scioscia. The Angels produced only a run-scoring groundout from center fielder Mike Trout after Yunel Escobar’s leadoff triple off the wall in right-center in the first iing.

“Matt has talked about trying to get over the hump, about trying to get those outs late in the game,” Scioscia said. “He’s gotten close this year, but hasn’t been able to close the door. Tonight, he did. … It was much the same (as in past starts), but only tonight he finished it.”

White Sox starter James Shields (4-11) was almost as good as Shoemaker, giving up only two hits with two strikeouts and two walks in eight iings. Shields gave up only Escobar’s first-iing triple and Ji-Man Choi’s one-out double in the eighth.

On another night, with another pitcher, it might have meant trouble for the Angels.

Shoemaker refused to be denied, though.

- - , .
.