Red Sox P Garrett Crochet aims to shut down White Sox again

Boston Red Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet has paid immediate dividends since signing a six-year, $170 million contract extension this season.

Crochet, 25, is 2-1 with a 1.38 ERA and an 0.88 WHIP. He's scheduled to start Saturday's matchup against his former team in the Chicago White Sox, who traded Crochet to Boston last winter for four prospects.

Red Sox fans may not have seen the best version of Crochet, either.

"I don't feel like I am myself right now," he said following his last start. "But it's also April and 30 degrees, right? They call it midseason form for a reason. And it's not midseason yet."

That last start came against the White Sox last Sunday. Crochet was throwing a no-hitter until Chase Meidroth -- of the four prospects Boston sent to Chicago for Crochet -- singled with one out in the eighth inning.

Crochet allowed one run on one hit and struck out 11 in Boston's 3-1 win. That victory allowed the Red Sox to avoid a three-game sweep against a team that lost 121 games last season.

Saturday's game will be Crochet's second career appearance against the White Sox, who lost 10-3 to Boston on Friday night.

Chicago has lost five games in a row and is 0-7 on the road this season. The White Sox have been outscored 36-8 during their five-game losing streak.

Crochet's near no-hitter overshadowed the performance turned in by White Sox starter Shane Smith last Sunday. Smith, a righty, limited Boston to two runs on five hits in six innings of that 3-1 loss. He struck out three and walked two.

Smith (0-1, 2.04 ERA) will get another crack at Boston on Saturday, when he's scheduled to make the second appearance of his career against the Red Sox. Before attending Wake Forest, Smith pitched for Governor's Academy in Byfield, Mass., which is about 30 miles from Boston. He was born in Danvers, Mass.

Boston's victory on Friday came in the first matchup in a four-game series. Trevor Story hit a pair of three-run homers, and the Red Sox went deep four times in the game.

"Any time you come up with runners on base, you want to come through for the boys," Story said. "Really just trying to keep it simple and get a pitch I can handle.

"We put together great at-bats all game, and that caused some momentum. A lot of great swings by the guys tonight. That's the type of offense we know we can be."

Chicago starter Martin Perez left Friday's game after three innings with left forearm soreness. He allowed five hits on his 52 pitches, one of which was Story's first three-run home run.

"We need Martin," manager Will Venable said. "We need the things that he does on the mound, the things that he does in the clubhouse. Not gonna speculate on where he's at. We'll get him scanned and treated (Saturday), and hopefully it's good news."

White Sox catcher Edgar Quero got his first major league hit in the ninth inning Friday. It was a double against reliever Josh Winckowski.

"I'm seeing the ball good," said Quero, who was called up from Triple-A Charlotte on Thursday. "Just ready to hit the fastball and I hit it."

--Field Level Media