Kirk McCaskill, in his minor-league rehab assignment, pitched six innings, allowed three hits and two runs-one of them unearned-in his start Friday night for Class A South Bend at Rockford. He was the winning pitcher in South Bend’s 6-2 victory.
“I took this start very seriously,” said McCaskill, due to come off the disabled list Wednesday. “I was serious about using all my pitches and doing everything I would do in a (major-league) game. I felt good. No pain at all.”
– Sox manager Gene Lamont said after the game he was all but certain he wouldn’t start Wilson Alvarez on three days’ rest in Cleveland next Tuesday. Lamont wouldn’t say what the Sox planned to do for a starter next Tuesday since they will still be one pitcher short.
If they call someone up from the minors, the best guess would be rookie Rodney Bolton, who was with the Sox at the start of the season. Bolton is 5-1 since he returned to Triple-A. He was 0-3 as the Sox’s fifth starter in April.
– Robin Ventura tied a club record for futility by striking out for a fifth consecutive time Friday night.
Ventura struck out all four times he came to the plate in his last game Wednesday. He fanned his first time up Friday to tie a record set in 1957 by Jim Landis.
Ventura ended his string of consecutive strikeouts at five with a flyout to left in the fourth inning. The American League record for strikeouts in consecutive games is eight.
– Tim Raines was scratched from Friday night’s lineup with continued tightness in his back. He hurt the back sliding hard into second base on a wild pitch against the Rangers on Wednesday and left the game after one inning.
It was the second time this year Raines has hurt himself sliding into second. The last time, he tore a ligament in his thumb sliding head first and needed surgery that kept him out six weeks.
– Syd Thrift, assistant general manager of the Cubs, was at Comiskey for Friday night’s game. That obviously sparked renewed speculation about a Cubs-Sox trade. The Sox are looking for a left-handed reliever and the Cubs have four in their bullpen. Thrift, however, insisted he was just passing through from Indianapolis to Iowa following the Cubs’ Triple-A team. He did take time to renew acquaintances with Lamont and catcher Mike LaValliere, both of whom were in Pittsburgh when Thrift was GM there.