If this is Carson Fulmer's last start for the White Sox, I don't think anybody would say it was premature.
Fulmer failed to pitch four innings for the third time in as many May starts. He couldn't even retire a batter in the third tonight, leaving the bases loaded for Chris Volstad.
Volstad almost got out of the inning and spared Fulmer further indignity, starting with a strikeout and a force at the plate. Then he hung an 0-2 sinker to Shin-Soo Choo, and Choo belted it out to right for a game-breaking grand slam, with three of those runs on Fulmer's tab.
It's hard to say Fulmer deserved better. His first pitch of the game plunked Delino DeShields Jr., his first seven pitches were out of the zone, and even with a ridiculous sacrifice bunt on pitch No. 8, the Rangers still scored three in the first.
And when the Sox came back with a couple runs off Matt Moore in the bottom of the first, Fulmer walked the leadoff man and allowed him to score.
The grand slam gave Fulmer a bizarre line: 2+ IP, 3 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 5 BB, 2 K, 2 HBP. His ERA is now 8.07, and with Volstad throwing three scoreless innings after the Choo slam and Michael Kopech dominating with Charlotte tonight, the Sox have options five days from now, so the Sox optioned Fulmer to Charlotte after the game.
The bigger loss was Nicky Delmonico, who was plunked on the hand in the second inning and left the game. The White Sox said he'll miss 4-6 weeks with a fracture of the third metacarpal in his left hand, and that hits a part of the Sox depth chart that is already pretty bare.
Other members of the White Sox offense were able to pad some numbers. Tim Anderson singled twice and drew his 13th walk, the latter of which ties his single-season high. Matt Davidson doubled and drew two more walks in the cleanup spot. Jose Abreu doubled twice, drew a walk and drove in two. With Volstad and Bummer keeping Texas off the board from innings No. 3 through No. 8, the Sox were able to cut the lead as close as 9-5.
But they ran out of counterpunches, and Joakim Soria fooled few during an unsuccessful ninth inning.
Bullet point:
*Adam Engel committed an error in the ninth inning when his throw home hit the runner and bounced away.
Record: 11-30 | Box score
