White Sox look to stop run against Phillies

PHILADELPHIA -- If the Chicago White Sox are going to limit their opponents offensively, they're going to need to keep them from running rampant on the basepaths.

In a 7-6 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday night, the White Sox allowed three stolen bases before Cesar Hernandez was thrown out trying to steal second in the eighth inning.

That continues a troubling theme with rookie catcher Omar Narvaez behind the plate. In 215 innings, he allowed 21 stolen bases while catching only two runners, a success rate of 8.7 percent.

Those steals proved troublesome against the Phillies (69-83), with Odubel Herrera (two) and rookie Roman Quinn putting themselves in scoring position for the top four of the Philadelphia lineup that went 8-for-15 on Tuesday.

Manager Robin Ventura, though, didn't seem too worried afterward about the trend, hesitating to put all the blame on the 24-year-old from Venezuela who was first called up in July.

"You're going to need some help from your pitchers," Ventura said. "Those guys are pretty speedy, so it's not for a lack of trying or having the arm to do it. It's just you've got to be able to time it up right."

Stealing bases isn't something new to the Phillies, who are 11th in the majors in steals (87). But the addition of Quinn, a 23-year old rookie, to the lineup -- Phillies manager Pete Mackanin has had him batting second in the order -- gives them another set of afterburners on the base paths.

"Quinn has elite level speed," Jake Thompson said after winning Tuesday's game. "It's fun watching those guys get going out there. There's probably only maybe three or four teams in the league that have someone who can run like Quinn. Whenever he gets his feet going, it's fun to watch."

Ventura has a veteran to help Narvaez out on the mound Wednesday in Chris Sale as the White Sox (72-79) attempt to even the two-game series.

Sale (16-8, 3.03 ERA) can equal his career high for wins in a season. He's one behind the 17 he won in 2012, his first season as a full-time starter and first of five straight All-Star appearances.

In three September starts, he's 1-1 with a 2.52 ERA, striking out 30 against two walks in 25 innings.

The Phillies counter with Jerad Eickhoff, who has been steady all season long despite a general lack of run support (3.4 runs per game), going 10-14 with a 3.74 ERA in his first full major league season.

Since the All-Star break, he's 4-4 with a 3.66 ERA, though he's coming off a bit of a rough outing, when he gave up a three-run seventh-inning home run as part of allowing six runs (three earned) in 6 2/3 innings of a 15-2 loss to Pittsburgh on Thursday.

Eickhoff could benefit from the continued surge of center fielder Odubel Herrera, who is 15-for-28 over his last seven games after a 3-for-4, three-RBI performance Tuesday.

"Herrera's swinging the bat very well and that's really nice to see," manager Pete Mackanin said. "We needed him to do that. He looks like he's getting more selective. He's not taking those wild swings and it's paying off."