Shutouts are nothing new for James Baldwin. He has thrown them before, but not since he was a senior in high school.
No wonder, then, that Baldwin was bearing down so hard in the ninth inning Monday night. He had a chance for his first shutout in 197 starts as a pro.
How badly did he want it?
“Bad, real bad,” he said. “Really, really bad.”
Fred McGriff’s one-out homer in the ninth put an end to that possibility. It did little to diminish Baldwin’s effort in the White Sox’s 6-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays before 24,698 at Tropicana Field.
This was the fifth victory for Baldwin (7-4) in eight starts since manager Jerry Manuel gave him a second chance after six weeks in the bullpen. He has a 2.34 earned-run average in those eight starts, improvement he credits to the work of new pitching coach Nardi Contreras. “He had it all,” Contreras said. “Now he’s putting it together. That’s all it is.”
Baldwin and the upwardly mobile Sox, 2-2 on the trip and 13-11 in the second half, overmatched All-Star Rolando Arrojo (11-8). Baldwin allowed eight hits and one walk in 8 2/3 innings before Keith Foulke came in for the last out. Baldwin’s rock-and-fire style set the tone for a game played in 2 hours 27 minutes.
“He has been very consistent lately,” Manuel said. “He gets the ball and throws the ball, which keeps his defense alert and active. He’s throwing strikes and not wasting a lot of pitches. He has been outstanding.”
The Sox turned two double plays behind him, including a beauty in the fifth. Shortstop Mike Caruso backhanded a screamer from Wade Boggs to start a 6-4-3 double play.
“They were hitting the ball pretty hard,” Baldwin said, “but it was right at people. I was lucky a few times.”
