Orioles survive 12-hit barrage, defeat White Sox 4-2

BALTIMORE, MD - MAY 05: Miguel Gonzalez #58 of the Chicago White Sox pitches in the first inning during a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on May 5, 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)

BALTIMORE — Funny game, baseball.

Funny how three of the first four White Sox to bat against Wade Miley on Friday night attacked him with hits — two of which ricocheted off the Orioles left-hander, including Jose Abreu’s 103-mph liner, which bounced off his left wrist all the way into short right field.

Funny how the knockout shot, by Avisail Garcia two pitches later, hit Miley in the rump. Miley grabbed the area of concern with one hand, then tried to wave off manager Buck Showalter and the O’s training staff with his free hand as they headed toward him for a second visit.

The O’s could laugh about it because they’re 18-10 after a 4-2 victory and Miley didn’t appear to be seriously hurt. But Showalter, after seeing his pitcher weave and bob on the mound, knew it wasn’t Miley’s night, so he got him out of there in one piece.

X-rays were negative on Miley’s wrist.

“I should have taken him out after the first one,” Showalter said, adding in jest that no X-rays were taken of Miley’s rear end.

Funny, too, how Miley’s replacement pitched six scoreless innings. Gabriel Ynoa, called up from Class AAA on Thursday, had pitched to a 6.65 ERA there — an ERA bludgeoned by none other than the Sox’ Class AAA Charlotte Knights, who riddled him for seven runs and 10 hits in 2 2/3 innings on April 7.

Shortly after Ynoa departed, John Denver’s “Life ain’t nothing but a funny, funny riddle” lyric boomed through the stadium during the Orioles’ longstanding seventh-inning sing-along to “Thank God I’m a Country Boy.”

Not so funny for the Sox: collecting 12 hits but squeezing out only two runs. They left 10 runners on base.

“It’s a crazy game,” Sox starter Miguel Gonzalez said. “We had 12 hits and lost the game.”

It was an emotional game for Gonzalez, too. A popular player both in the Orioles’ clubhouse and among fans — they cheered him nicely a couple of times Friday — he pitched at Camden Yards for the first time against the team that let him go late in spring training last year.

“Coming back at Camden Yards, the fans were happy to see me,” he said. “Emotion. I was a little too much amped up. But I settled down after that.”

Gonzalez (3-2, 3.18 ERA) pitched 6 2/3 innings, allowing two runs and six hits — including Chris Davis’ solo homer in the third — while striking out five and walking none.

“Everything was going on in my head,” Gonzalez said. “This is where I started my career in the big leagues. The Orioles gave me my first opportunity, but now I’m with the White Sox, happy to be here, and we’re doing a good job.”

The Sox weren’t so good defensively, allowing two runs in the eighth in part because of Davis’ tricky grounder that got past third baseman Cody Asche’s backhand for a single, and an error on shortstop Tim Anderson.

“You can’t give a club like that too many outs,” Sox manager Rick Renteria said.

Sox right-hander Anthony Swarzak continued to not give away a thing, recording two outs and retiring the 15th consecutive hitter he has faced (and 33rd of 34). Swarzak has not allowed a run this season.

The Sox got one run on Garcia’s groundout in the eighth for his 24th RBI, making it 2-1. Their second run scored on Melky Cabrera’s fielder’s choice grounder, bringing Abreu to the plate against Brad Brach (sixth save) as the tying run. The red-hot Sox first baseman, who went 3-for-5 to raise his average to .286, flied to center to end the game.

The loss dropped the Sox to 15-13 and to 4-4 on a 10-game road trip that began in Detroit (2-1) and continued in Kansas City (2-2).

Follow me on Twitter @CST_soxvan.

Email: dvanschouwen@suntimes.com