Jose Quintana isn’t downplaying what it will be like Tuesday to pitch against Chris Sale at Guaranteed Rate Field.
“Facing Saler is going to be awesome, big time,” Quintana said. “A big moment of the season. He was my teammate. It’s a different feeling but it’s good to face the best left-hander in the league. I’m excited and I think he’s excited, too. But my focus right now is to do my job. Do my work and do my thing and put us in a good position to win. That’s all I can do.”
Sale was famously traded this offseason to Boston for a package of prospects led by Yoan Moncada and Michael Kopech in a deal that signaled the beginning of the White Sox’s rebuild. Quintana, who could follow the same path this summer, said he enjoyed working with Sale.
“He’s the best. He’s the best teammate of the pitchers I’ve had. We have a really good relationship,” Quintana said. “He’s really fun to watch. He’s good and he has good stuff. But we’re focusing on us. I want to do my job and that’s my focus.”
Quintana’s job Tuesday won’t be to hit against Sale, and that will fall to some of his former Sox teammates. Jose Abreu, like Quintana, had nothing but respect for Sale.
“He was one of the best teammates that I had here in my first three years. That will be fun,” Abreu said through a translator. “He’s a very good pitcher, and we’ll see what happens that day.”
Updating the rotation
Tyler Danish made a good impression Saturday. The next starting pitcher to get that chance will be David Holmberg.
On Monday, Holmberg will oppose Boston’s David Price. Manager Rick Renteria said he was hoping for five innings from the 25-year-old lefty who has made 12 career starts, going 3-6 with a 6.99 ERA.
Meanwhile, Renteria said that James Shields, who has been on the disabled list since April 21 (strained right lat), is “moving along.”
“Hopefully there are no setbacks,” Renteria said. “He’s continued to throw with really positive results in terms of his feeling and I think that determination in terms of how long it’ll be is still up in the air but he’s moving along very well.”
Follow me on Twitter @BrianSandalow.
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