HEADLINES OF MAY 30, 2015

SOTO ENDS DEADLOCK IN 11TH TO COMPLETE RALLY By Brian McTaggart and Chris Abshire / MLB.com | 2:44 AM ET

HOUSTON -- Geovany Soto hit a two-run double off the right-field wall to break a tie in the 11th inning, and Adam LaRoche added an RBI single to lead the White Sox to a 6-3 win over the Astros in the series opener Friday night at Minute Maid Park.

"It was a nice win," White Sox manager said. "These guys battled, and I think you look at the team wins you'll have and this is a big one, because it was a bit of a M.A.S.H. unit, knowing we were limited. Just a lot of big contributions from everybody."

The Astros scored twice in the sixth to take a 3-2 lead on a sacrifice fly by Chris Carter and a throwing error by first baseman Jose Abreu, but tied it in the eighth on a solo homer off reliever Chad Qualls.

"I think that game could have been won on both sides a couple of different times," Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. "I think missed opportunities on both sides kind of created a longer game. Any time you play that long and have multiple opportunities, it's hard to lose. The walks a couple of different times tonight came back to bite us a little bit when they came up with some big hits. It's obviously frustrating to lose."

White Sox starter Carlos Rodon, whom the Astros passed on with the No. 1 pick in last year's Draft, held Houston to three runs (one earned) and eight hits in 6 1/3 innings. Fellow rookie Lance McCullers Jr. of the Astros allowed two runs (one earned) and five hits in 4 1/3 innings.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED lets one get away: Astros relievers have been so good at protecting leads it's surprising when they're not able to close the door. Qualls blew a by allowing a game-tying homer in the eighth inning, and Tony Sipp gave up the three runs in the 11th.

Taking a tumble: In the fourth inning, White Sox Tyler Flowers turned to his teammates for support -- quite literally. Flowers flipped over the dugout railing while tracking a foul ball and landed in the arms of a host of teammates and staff, including Ventura. The group hoisted him for approximately 10 seconds, trying to figure out how to safely deposit his 6-foot-4, 245-pound frame in the dugout's tight confines. It wasn't the only toughness he displayed Friday night, as Flowers took a foul ball off his hand in the first inning.

"Definitely saved me from some more pain," Flowers said. "Once my feet left underneath me, I figured I was going down. It'd be tough to catch me and also trying to dodge the ball, so a lot of things going on there.

Booms off the bench: The White Sox found their run production in an unlikely place: the bench. Four of Chicago's five RBIs came courtesy of players not in the starting lineup. The big bop was Soto's two-run double in the 11th to break a 3- 3 deadlock. Soto replaced Abreu, who left the game in the eighth inning with irritation in his right index finger and is expected to rest Saturday. Beckham entered the game in the fifth -- replacing at third base -- and drove in a pair, first with a sacrifice fly and later by booming the game-tying in the eighth.

"Such a strange game," Ventura said. "Got a little messy there. We were limited on who we could use and mixing and matching. Gordon with a big homer and nice to kind of battle through it."

QUOTABLE "I think I might have saved his life. He better at least think so." -- Ventura on catching Flowers, while pointing to an ice pack on his bruised lower back suffered as a result

"He has some back issues anyway. He said I compressed him a little bit." -- Flowers' response

"It wasn't a good pitch to throw, obviously, if he's cheating fastball in that situation, and if I throw it down and away, he probably hits a ground ball. It ran middle, middle in, and he hit it out." -- Qualls, on homer surrendered to Beckham

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS The Astros were 21-0 in games in which had appeared before Friday.

REPLAY REVIEWS Both managers were unsuccessful in challenging calls via instant replay. Ventura challenged a play in the sixth inning in which Luis Valbuena was called safe as Rodon stepped near the bag. The safe call was confirmed, allowing Preston Tucker to score from third base on what was ruled a throwing error by Abreu.

Hinch challenged a caught stealing at second base on Jonathan Villar in the ninth inning, a call that was also confirmed by replay officials.

WHAT'S NEXT White Sox: In Saturday's 3:10 p.m. CT matchup at Minute Maid Park, the White Sox will run out lefty Jose Quintana, whose last start wasn't indicative of his rock-steady season. He was shelled for seven runs (one unearned) on seven hits by a hot Twins lineup on Sunday, the first time he had allowed more than two runs in six starts. He has been prone to the big inning, which is something to watch against an Astros lineup brimming with power.

Astros: Ace lefty Dallas Keuchel will try to rebound from his first loss of the season on Monday, when he gave up a pair of two-run homers in Baltimore (he had allowed only one homer in his previous nine starts). Still, Keuchel leads the American League in opponent batting average (.190) and is second in wins (six) and third in ERA (1.98).

ABREU LIKELY OUT SATURDAY WITH FINGER INJURY WHITE SOX SLUGGER EXITS IN 8TH INNING AFTER COMMITING THROWING ERROR By Chris Abshire / Special to MLB.com | 1:29 AM ET

HOUSTON -- White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu left Friday night's game -- a 6-3 victory in 11 innings over the Astros -- with irritation in his right index finger and is considered day to day.

Geovany Soto replaced Abreu in the lineup for the bottom of the eighth inning, with starting catcher Tyler Flowers moving defensively from catcher to first base. Abreu went 2-for-4 with a run scored and committed a costly throwing error in the sixth.

It's unclear which play during the game may have caused the finger issue, but it's not a new ailment for Abreu. After initially feeling pain in the finger during a batting session two weeks ago, he aggravated the same finger last week against the Indians, but it hadn't resulted in any missed time.

"It was like two weeks ago when I was in the cage in Chicago. The situation was getting worse, and today I couldn't continue playing," Abreu said. "That was the right choice, not just for me but the team. If you see the game, playing first base, I didn't throw the ball to the right spot because I didn't feel the finger. It was the right decision at the right time."

Manager Robin Ventura said given the severity of the swelling in the finger after the game, Abreu is unlikely to play on Saturday.

"I would doubt he will be playing [Saturday], just by the way it looks," Ventura said. "[Abreu] doesn't feel it's broken or anything, just bruised."

Abreu said he expects to get an X-ray on the finger for a more conclusive prognosis.

FLOWERS TUMBLES INTO DUGOUT, CAUGHT BY VENTURA By Gemma Kaneko | May 29th, 2015

"Flowers in the dugout" sounds kind of nice, doesn't it? Maybe someone decided to bring a little spring color into the game. Maybe some sunflower seeds took root and sprouted, turning the whole stadium into a van Gogh painting.

That's White Sox catcher Tyler Flowers going after a foul ball and instead being unceremoniously dumped in the dugout, where he was caught by his manager. Gravity can be cruel like that. Or, we can just think of it as the universal force's attempt to give Robin Ventura a present. After all, everyone likes to get Flowers. m.mlb.com/cutfour/2015/05/29/127463054

RODON SUBDUES ASTROS WITH RENEWED FOCUS YOUNG LEFTY HAD ROTATION TURN SKIPPED TO WORK ON PITCH LOCATION By Chris Abshire / Special to MLB.com | 2:53 AM ET

HOUSTON -- For an 11-inning game the White Sox won, 6-3,with big hits late and 4 2/3 scoreless relief innings, those weren't even the most encouraging signs for this team in the long term.

It wasn't always pretty, but fresh off an extended rest, starter Carlos Rodon delivered the kind of hard-earned outing that should pay dividends well beyond a May night in Minute Maid Park.

"That was huge. That's a tough game," he said. "Great team and a hard team to pitch against, that's for sure. Defensively, they're good, and they hit the ball well. But we played better today."

It didn't always look that way Friday night against the Astros. In an oddball game through and through, the White Sox committed two errors behind Rodon, scored one of their runs on a third-strike wild pitch with an errant throw to first and tallied four of their six runs from players off the bench.

And yet, there was Rodon, seemingly calm at the center of it. His manager took notice of the young 's ability to wiggle out of pressure points as the Astros twice left multiple baserunners on against Rodon, who stranded a leadoff double in the fifth inning.

"The kid threw great. Carlos battled, did everything but had some bad breaks. I thought he pitched great, throwing strikes, commanding stuff," manager Robin Ventura said of the 22-year-old Rodon. "With a team here that swings it like they do, he did a good job."

Rodon, the top White Sox prospect who is nearly a year removed from college ball, lasted 6 1/3 innings and allowed three runs, just one earned.

The White Sox skipped his most recent scheduled start in an attempt to rest his arm and corral his flailing command, which came to a head when he walked five vs. Cleveland on May 20. Extra sessions with pitching coach Don Cooper followed, with location and repetition the primary focus.

It was just one outing, but the results crept through. The Astros scratched out eight hits, but that plays more to what Cooper wanted: early contact and strikes. Rodon walked none on Friday and tossed 58 of his 92 pitches for strikes.

"It worked out. Attacked the zone fine today, lot of early swings it seemed like," Rodon said. "Just fastball command was good and got guys out, got ahead. … Those times with 'Coop' really helped. Made some adjustments and got down to basics, just throwing strikes. That's all you can do and all you can control."

He was in control Friday, lowering his ERA by more than half a run and keeping the home run happy Astros out of the air. Rodon produced a season-high eight groundouts vs. three flyouts. Against a powerful lineup like the one in Houston, it was quite the statement for a comeback performance.

WHITE SOX AIM FOR SERIES WIN BEHIND QUINTANA By Chris Abshire / Special to MLB.com | 1:48 AM ET

The Astros and White Sox send left-handers to the mound Saturday for the second meeting in a three-game set at Minute Maid Park. It'll be a 3:10 p.m. CT start, with Houston looking to avoid dropping a home series while Chicago can snap a three-series losing streak.

The White Sox will run out Jose Quintana, whose last start wasn't indicative of his rock-steady season. He was shelled for seven runs (one unearned) on seven hits by a hot Twins lineup on Sunday, the first time he had allowed more than two runs in six starts. He has been prone to the big inning, which is something to watch against an Astros lineup brimming with power and taking advantage of the short porches in Minute Maid.

The Astros have little of those concerns about their ace, Dallas Keuchel. He's appeared a bit more hittable recently, after a sparkling April that earned him American League Pitcher of the Month honors. Sandwiched around a one-run effort against Oakland on May 20, he's allowed four runs in his other three most recent outings. Still, his ground-ball rate is as strong as ever, and opponents are hitting a mere .190 against him.

Things to know about this game

• White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu left Friday's game against the Astros with irritation in his right index finger and is considered day to day. Manager Robin Ventura said given the severity of the swelling in the finger after the game, Abreu is unlikely to play Saturday.

• Outfielder Avisail Garcia could make his return to the White Sox lineup after missing five games while battling right knee inflammation.

• The Astros lead MLB with 88 runs in the seventh inning or later, though Chicago did hold them scoreless after the sixth in Friday's 6-3 White Sox victory in 11 innings.

WHITE SOX TO RELY ON WEBB OUT OF BULLPEN VENTURA SAYS RECENT CALLUP HAS 'GOT TO BE AVAILABLE' ON BUSY ROAD TRIP By Chris Abshire / Special to MLB.com | 2:59 AM ET

HOUSTON -- Receiving a callup the day before a doubleheader isn't the most ideal way for a reliever to make his way back to the Majors.

For White Sox right-hander Daniel Webb, he had no idea if his return to the big leagues before Chicago's double dip in Baltimore would be anything resembling a permanent one.

"I wasn't sure when I first got there," said Webb, who tossed 1 2/3 innings of scoreless ball in the 6-3 White Sox victory over the Astros on Friday. "I didn't know what was going to happen. [Manager] Robin [Ventura] told me I was available for both games, so kind of a good indicator, but I had no idea what was going on."

Ventura was clear: Webb isn't on the roster as a placeholder or a fill-in, with the White Sox relying on so many arms in playing 15 games in 14 days entering this weekend's series at Minute Maid Park.

"He's not coming up here just to sit. The kind of games we've had already on this road trip, plus the doubleheader, he's got to be available. We've had some guys go multiple days in a row, so he will definitely get in there," Ventura said. "Having Webby, you're looking at a guy who might be more of a situational guy, who would get an inning, and you don't have to sit there and hopefully get him three or four innings."

Webb spent all of last season at the big league level, throwing 67 2/3 innings. A poor spring and some offseason bullpen signings relegated him to a Minor League role to start the 2015 campaign.

He wants to carve out a regular role again, and he's made a few tweaks with his motion to gain what he hopes is better consistency in his command.

"This year, [I'm] working on trying to get angle with my fastball, staying consistent in my delivery and throwing the ball downhill," Webb said. "Limiting the walks has always been the biggest thing I need to do."

Webb issued 42 walks in 57 appearances last year, giving him a pedestrian 1.49 WHIP along with a 3.99 ERA. The righty made his season debut Thursday, pitching a perfect inning during the second game of a doubleheader -- a 6-3 loss in Baltimore.

AVISAIL CLOSE TO RETURN FROM KNEE INFLAMMATION By Chris Abshire / Special to MLB.com | May 29th, 2015

HOUSTON -- The White Sox remain hopeful Avisail Garcia could rejoin the lineup on Saturday, after the outfielder took batting practice and fielded balls before Friday night's game against the Astros.

Manager Robin Ventura even said Garcia could be available off the bench Friday, depending on how he responded to the pregame workout.

"He's not starting today, but there is a chance he could get in there, if the situation arises that looks like a good spot for him," Ventura said. "I don't know if I necessarily would put him in the outfield until we see him run around and really see the ball off the bat. But he looks good."

.@AvisailGarcia does some work with @AllenEThomas12. pic.twitter.com/tVaBcarD1O — (@whitesox) May 29, 2015 weeks with right knee inflammation and has not played since being pulled from Monday's game in Toronto after his first at-bat.

Garcia said he received an MRI on the knee and the results showed "nothing bad, just inflammation, and that's all."

Following the flare-up Monday, the outfielder Garcia has been hobbled for nearly two did no physical activity for two days, which he said helped.

"Yes, [it feels] a lot [better]," Garcia said. "With the rest and treatment the trainers gave to me, I feel really good. Couldn't put my knee up yesterday, but now I'm stretching it out. … It feels pretty good."

Though he's still got one of the league's more impressive slash lines at .327/.365/.456, the injury began frustrating Garcia when he was playing through it. He was in a 3-for-17 slump over his last six games.

WHITE SOX SURVIVE ASTROS WITHOUT INJURED JOSE ABREU Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune | May 30, 2015

HOUSTON – White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu was headed to the hospital for an X-ray on his swollen right index finger Friday night after the Sox’s 6-3, 11-inning victory over the Astros at Minute Maid Park.

Abreu exited the game in the eighth inning with an injury he said was first suffered two weeks ago in the batting cage in Chicago. He said he couldn’t properly throw the ball because of the swelling and asked to be taken out. Sox manager Robin Ventura said Abreu likely will sit out Saturday’s game against the Astros. Beckham and Rodon on the White Sox's win over Houston

“That situation was getting worse, and today I couldn't continue playing,” Abreu said through a team interpreter. “I was talking to (trainer Herm Schneider) and I said, 'I can't play anymore.’ And that was the right choice not just for me but the team.”

The Sox survived even without Abreu. Catcher Tyler Flowers, who often takes groundballs during warm-ups at first base, took over for Abreu in the field and said he felt fairly comfortable there.

Catcher Geovany Soto replaced Abreu in the lineup and ended up hitting the winning two-run double in the 11th inning off Astros reliever Tony Sipp.

The Sox already had been run a bit ragged after a doubleheader Thursday in Baltimore, but succeeded behind a shutout performance from their bullpen.

“It got a little messy there,” Ventura said. “We were limited on who we could use and mixing and matching. … It was a nice win. These guys battled. I think you look at team wins you’ll have at some point, and this is a big one because it was a bit of a MASH unit, knowing that before we started the game.”

Ventura didn’t escape the game injury-free either. He was wearing an ice pack on his back after catching Flowers in the dugout as he fell over the railing trying to catch a foul ball.

“He’s heavy, and it doesn’t feel very good,” Ventura said. “I think I might have saved his life. He better at least think so.”

Flowers, who also had a cut on the bridge of his nose from a foul ball Friday, was thankful.

“He definitely saved me from some more pain,” Flowers said. “Once my feet left from underneath me, I figured I was going down. It’d be tough to catch me and also trying to dodge the ball. There were a lot of things going on there.”

DEFENSIVE MISTAKES MAR CARLOS RODON'S LONGEST START, BUT WHITE SOX WIN Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune | May 30, 2015

HOUSTON — White Sox left-hander Carlos Rodon outlasted his Astros rookie counterpart Friday night at Minute Maid Park, and despite poor defense behind him, the Sox stole a 6-3 victory from the American League West-leading Astros in 11 innings. Geovany Soto's two-out, two-run double was the game-winning blow.

Two of the three runs Rodon allowed were unearned as the Sox totaled two errors, a passed ball and another key defensive mistake over his 6 1/3 innings.

Those misplays meant Rodon didn't earn his second victory of the season, despite turning in his longest performance and his first start without a walk, a key issue for him. He gave up eight hits and struck out four.

The Astros took a brief lead in the sixth inning when first baseman Jose Abreu fielded a grounder and tossed too high to Rodon, who missed tagging first base. That allowed a runner to score from third. Sox Gordon Beckham countered with a tying homer in the eighth to ensure Rodon wouldn't be saddled with the loss.

"I attacked the zone fine today," Rodon said. "There were a lot of early swings, it seemed like. My fastball command was good, and I got guys out, got ahead."

The Sox hurt their chances at a late victory when first baseman Jose Abreu was pulled from the game in the eighth inning with irritation in his right index finger and catcher Tyler Flowers replaced him at first.

Rodon was pitted against another rookie, Astros 2012 first-round pick Lance McCullers, who was making his third major- league start. McCullers lasted 4 1/3 innings, allowing five hits and two runs — one earned — with two walks and seven .

McCullers took a different path to the majors than Rodon. The Astros drafted him out of high school and he spent three seasons in the minor leagues before his big-league debut this year. Rodon's quick path to the majors once drafted last June was feasible because of the experience he received at North Carolina State and with USA Baseball, Sox manager Robin Ventura said.

"You're looking at his background of where he was and how he got to us. He has a lot of stuff under his belt," Ventura said. "He's a very accomplished amateur player for all of the things he has done. … He has a lot of credibility as far as what he accomplished before he got to us."

Rodon was held out from his last scheduled turn in the rotation as the Sox try to limit his innings in his first major-league season. Ventura said he wasn't concerned about the extra rest throwing Rodon off because he should be used to it only a year removed from college.

Pitching coach Don Cooper was happy to receive an extra side session to work with Rodon. Entering Friday's game, Rodon had issued 19 walks in 221/3 innings, including 15 over his three starts, a stat Cooper was trying to help him turn around.

"Those sides with Coop really helped," Rodon said. "I made some adjustments and got down to basics, just to throw strikes. That's all you can do and all you can control."

Cooper said Rodon's extra time off allowed him to work longer and more specifically, including on fastball location.

"The isn't the pitch that has been hurting him," Cooper said. "It's the lack of strikes with his fastball and when he's not right that has put him in trouble with walks and too many baserunners. The changeup is the pitch we're working on to continue to bring him along. And that's another thing in sidelines, we kill it."

WITH DEREK JETER GONE, SEARCH FOR THE FACE OF BASEBALL ILLUSORY Bernie Lincicome, Chicago Tribune | May 30, 2015

It has come to my notice that baseball needs a new face. Why this is so is not clear, nor even if it is so. Baseball needs a shave, that much I can see. Baseball has more beards than a hall full of hermits. Somewhere on the playing fields of there is, apparently, a face that, when seen, will convey to us the glory of the game, the essence of decency and the fulfillment of dreams, or some such tripe.

This was a job Derek Jeter of the Yankees took on without complaint, though I am not sure he was aware of it at the time. Jeter does not have a face that stands out in a mug book, and that was its chief quality.

Now that Jeter is gone, the urgency to find a replacement rolls through various polls, ploys and plots, the uneven results made public without really answering the question, or explaining why it was asked in the first place.

The Face of Baseball was and is at best an informal title, like Captain Kangaroo or Lady Gaga. Means nothing.

When I think of the face of baseball during Jeter's time, I see Barry Bonds or Roger Clemens, maybe Alex Rodriguez or Sammy Sosa. Ah, but their pictures have been turned to the wall.

When I see the face of baseball for all time, I see the miserable mug of . But that's another column.

Rodriguez actually was voted in an ESPN poll as the FOB a couple of years back and then promptly was prohibited from showing his face around baseball for a year.

Baseball does not want any more of those, but it does want something … well, something Jeteresque to represent itself to strangers on the street.

It wants a face that isn't hiding behind a hat, which is where a lot of football faces have been lately, including the most prominent one, the one belonging to Tom Brady.

Easier to find the face of basketball, growing more conspicuous as the Cavaliers hang on to LeBron James like he was a hot air balloon.

So the hunt is on, and candidates are offered whether they want to be or not.

Consider a couple of Cubs, and Anthony Rizzo, more wishful than actual with much stuff yet to prove. Or Jose Abreu of the White Sox, lately fading as the face of his own team. If or Frank Thomas could not become FOBs, it is not likely Abreu ever will do so.

It isn't that baseball has anything against the local candidates. It would love to have a Chicago personality to flaunt. Until then, baseball will be looking elsewhere and will check in with Bryant, Rizzo, et. al. pending events. Maybe Ernie Banks could be the FOB without a championship, but that was before sabermetrics and the blogosphere.

Pitchers are unlikely FOBs, even though their faces are much more noticeable on days they work. The problem is how can an FOB only work once, twice a week at the most?

That's why Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner cannot be the FOB, even though he has exactly the cornball story baseball is looking for (he grew up in a log house his daddy built, for cripes' sake). It would seem the FOB should be a Giant because San Francisco has won three of the last five World Series.

I would have gone with Tim Lincecum, just on pronunciation alone, but the Giants mantle seems to be reserved for , whose face is covered by a catcher's mask most of the time.

So who then? Varied returns indicate the next FOB to be either of the Angels or of the Nationals. Why? Who knows? Both good players, maybe great ones. Clean rap sheets so far. Both probably better than Jeter, as are any number of others.

This is a contest without rules and entirely avoidable. The next Face of Baseball will be whoever Nike says it is. Or maybe ESPN. They have the incentive and all the votes.

'BORED' AVISAIL GARCIA HOPING TO RETURN TO WHITE SOX LINEUP SATURDAY Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune | May 29, 2015

HOUSTON — The White Sox hope to relieve Avisail Garcia's boredom this weekend. After missing five straight games with right knee inflammation, Sox manager Robin Ventura said the right fielder could return to start Saturday against the Astros.

Garcia was happy to be running, fielding balls and taking batting practice Friday for the first time in four days. He said his knee, which hurt when he hit and ran, is feeling better.

"I don't like to be on the bench; I get too bored," Garcia said. "It's annoying, too, because I want to be in the field competing. … I don't want to be in the trainer's room doing nothing. No more trainer's room, and I'll be happy."

The replacement: It's hard to fill the shoes of Garcia, who is hitting .327 with four home runs and 18 RBIs, but Ventura thinks J.B. Shuck has been a solid replacement.

Shuck was used sparingly before Garcia's injury, but he has gone 9-for-25 with three runs in the eight games he has played since Garcia initially was hurt in Oakland.

Shuck said the hardest part as a backup is to maintain his timing while hitting.

"You just try to do whatever you can, get a lot of cage work in, maybe stand in on , do what you have to do," he said.

Webb on board: Sox reliever Daniel Webb said he knew it would be much tougher to make the team out of than it was last year, so he accepted his Triple-A assignment as time to work after going 6-5 with a 3.99 ERA for the Sox last year.

Ventura said Webb will receive more work with the Sox after he was called up as the 26th man for the doubleheader Thursday. With Hector Noesi already on board as a long reliever, the Sox opted to keep Webb rather than another long reliever, Scott Carroll.

"I've been working on trying to get the angle with my fastball, staying consistent in my delivery and throwing the ball downhill," Webb said. "Limiting the walks always has been the biggest thing I need to do. Just trying to stay aggressive and not be so picky."

WHITE SOX JOHN DANKS AT CENTER OF DRAMA INVOLVING FRIEND PARALYZED AT CONDO Jared S. Hopkins, Chicago Tribune | May 29, 2015

After a summer night of barhopping with friends in Lincoln Park, White Sox pitcher John Danks sat on a bench on the fourth-floor deck of a River West condo he rented, perusing his laptop for music to play. The group had been drinking and one of Danks' friends had taken cocaine. It was well past midnight but no one was ready to call it a night.

Suddenly, Danks heard a "loud bang."

He looked away from his computer and saw his friend, 29-year-old Blake Papst, lying nearby on the wooden deck. Papst, who was standing on a roof above the deck with his brother, had fallen about 10 feet.

What followed immediately is in dispute but everyone is clear on one detail: An ambulance was not called. Instead, Danks and his two friends eventually went to sleep inside the condo, leaving Papst alone on the deck. John Danks' condo A building where White Sox pitcher John Danks once leased a condo on the corner of West Fry Street and Ogden Avenue in Chicago, seen on May 27, 2015. Danks' friend from their hometown, Blake Papst, was injured in a fall onto a rooftop deck in 2010, not visible, leaving him paralyzed. (Erin Hooley, Chicago Tribune)

"He didn't act like he was very hurt," Danks later testified, according to court papers. "I mean, he almost acted like he got the wind knocked out of him more than anything."

But Papst was seriously injured; he has not walked again.

In his version of the events of that night, also contained in court filings, Papst says his pleas for help were ignored by Danks and others and no one would even hand him his cellphone.

It wasn't until the next morning that Danks and Papst's brother carried him back inside, maneuvering him down a flight of stairs. Even then, no one called an ambulance.

Finally, at 6:15 p.m. – hours after Danks left for the Sox game — Papst's brother, who was still at the condo, called 911, according to police and court records.

When he arrived at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Blake Papst was told blood clots had developed due to his inactivity, so surgery had to wait two days, he later testified. He was diagnosed with a fractured spinal cord.

The events of that August night in 2010 may have escaped public notice except that they occurred at the home of a millionaire professional athlete. Two years after the incident, Papst sued Danks, accusing the ballplayer of negligence for, among other things, failing to promptly call paramedics. He also sued his brother, Waylon Papst, as well as the condo owner and the building condo association.

The case, filed in Cook County, is set for trial in November.

Neither Blake Papst nor his brother would comment, and Danks has never spoken publicly about the incident.

But a Tribune review of recently filed court records, including the sworn testimony of Danks and others, provides the most detailed picture yet of what happened that night. What emerges is a chaotic evening colored by drugs and alcohol that paralyzed one man, destroyed friendships and led to a high-stakes legal drama still playing out in a Chicago courtroom.

In court filings, Danks has denied wrongdoing, saying that he wasn't responsible for Papst's injuries and that Waylon Papst discouraged him from seeking medical assistance for Blake. Additionally, in his 2013 court deposition, Danks said it was up to Papst's brother to make that decision, and the brother didn't call because Blake lacked insurance.

In a statement to the Tribune this week, Danks' attorney, Elizabeth A. Kaveny, said that the case "is not really about John Danks." Instead, she said, the two brothers' actions and the safety of the condo building should be the focus,

"John just has the name, the success that has come from hard work and true talent, and the overriding presumption that he has 'deep pockets,'" Kaveny's statement said. "Despite his limited involvement, John tried to help and support the brother of his good friend, financially and emotionally, and to resolve this legal matter early on, without success."

During his three-hour deposition, Danks said he checked on his friend after the fall but he didn't call paramedics because he didn't think Papst was injured badly.

"It wasn't like he did a swan dive off of there. I don't know. I mean, I looked up, he didn't act hurt, didn't ever say he was hurt, never asked for an ambulance."

Blake Papst's attorney told Danks his client disagrees with that account.

"Yeah," Danks replied. "There's dispute about a lot of things."

At Round Rock High School outside Austin, Texas, the left-hander was a star on the mound, posting a 1.61 ERA his senior year en route to 173 strikeouts in 100 innings. After he was named the state's top player, the drafted him ninth overall. A trade four years later ushered him to the White Sox, where he made his major league debut at 22.

As his career blossomed, he remained close with Waylon Papst, a friend he met in middle school and graduated high school with in 2003. They spoke almost daily, and Danks described their friendship as so tight that they were like brothers.

At Danks' invitation, Waylon Papst flew to Chicago on Aug. 12, 2010, with his older brother, Blake. That evening, the brothers joined Danks, then 25, and his teammates, to see country rocker Jamey Johnson at Joe's Bar in Lincoln Park.

The next night, the brothers took in a Sox game behind home plate in seats Danks reserved. They left early because of a rain delay, but after the game, went to a bar with Danks, and his friend, Madeline Dauksas, then 23.

The bar seemed crowded so they went to Joe's again. While there, Blake Papst bought cocaine from a man for $20 and used a key to snort it in the bathroom, according to court records and depositions. (There is no allegation or testimony suggesting Danks did drugs that night.)

Sometime around last call — 1:30 a.m., according to Blake Papst's estimate — the group left and returned to Danks' two- bedroom condo near Goose Island, a 1,745-square-foot unit with two floors.

Outside, the brothers, both wearing cowboy boots, climbed over a guard rail and scaled a sloped wall up to the building's roof for a better view of Chicago's skyline. But an argument ensued and there was a struggle over a cellphone. According to both brothers' legal filings, Waylon Papst came in contact with Blake, causing his 5-foot-11, 190-pound frame to tumble down to the wooden deck.

Blake accused his brother of pushing him off of the roof.

In his suit, Blake Papst acknowledges that Danks checked on him and tried to monitor his breathing. During his deposition, however, he said that Danks never asked him how he was doing — either outside or after he was brought inside — and was unresponsive to his calls for help.

"I don't remember John saying much to me at all," Papst testified. "I don't — I don't recall him saying much. But I remember asking for help and I didn't get it."

Papst described how he initially had feeling in his legs but trying to move them proved too painful. He testified that after he fell, he never passed out or fell asleep, including after everyone went inside. Instead, he said, he was wide awake throughout the night but conceded that loud air conditioners on the roof may have drowned out his pleas.

"I was just yelling, just 'help, help, help,' as loud as I could, for anyone to hear me,'" he testified.

In the morning, Papst testified, he screamed out in pain when his brother and Danks tried to lift him — and that it took them at least three tries to move him inside.

"I mean, it was just the most excruciating pain imaginable," Papst said.

Besides suffering a spinal cord injury, Papst lost control of his bladder, bowels and sexual functions, according to court papers.

Through his Chicago attorney, Timothy P. Rhatigan, Papst declined to comment for this story. Rhatigan issued a statement, saying: "We can't try this case in the press, and we look forward to a jury hearing all of the facts and weighing all of the evidence at trial."

DANKS' ACCOUNT

Danks' recollection of the evening in question differed from that of Blake Papst.

He testified that after the fall he checked on Papst's condition numerous times, at first kneeling down as Papst lay on his stomach. He said Papst was moaning but calling an ambulance "didn't cross my mind" because Papst didn't look hurt.

Shortly after the fall, he and Dauksas moved Papst onto his back.

"I asked him if he was all right a hundred times," Danks testified lRelated PDF: Complaint filed by Blake Papst against John Danks, others

Later, Papst's attorney asked how his client responded to his inquiries.

"I don't remember," Danks said. "I really don't."

Danks was also asked why he didn't call an ambulance.

"Well," Danks testified, "I had told Waylon that it was his brother and he was the cause of the accident. 'You're in charge.' I thought that would be the right thing to do. You know, I know if it's my brother laying on the ground I would want to take charge of it. So I put Waylon in charge. I mean, he acknowledged that. So I was just kind of following his lead at that point."

Waylon, in his deposition, said he was in shock and too "scared" to call paramedics.

Danks, however, testified that the discussion over calling an ambulance centered on Blake's lack of health insurance. "At that time Waylon said, 'No, we can't call an ambulance. They don't have insurance.' I said, 'You're in charge.'"

In his deposition, Danks said that he figured Papst merely needed to sleep off "bad drugs" and alcohol. Papst fell asleep by 4 a.m., he testified, and that's when he and the others decided to go to sleep as well. Danks said he checked on Papst a couple of times over the next few hours.

When Danks awoke around 9 a.m., he said, he and the others found Papst where they had left him. They gave him a bottle of water to drink.

Danks returned with Waylon Papst to the kitchen, and they made coffee and discussed what to do. Again, there was talk about an ambulance and how Blake had no health insurance.

Eventually they returned to the deck, and Danks said they lifted Papst without any problems. He testified that he believed it was OK to move Papst.

"At no point did I think he was paralyzed or had a broken back or anything," he said.

Later, one of Papst's attorneys asked Danks a series of questions related to having watched other athletes suffer injuries in competition. Why, the attorney asked, would paramedics immobilize athletes — limiting their movement — while they lay on the ground?

"I've never been to school for it. I couldn't tell you," he said. "I mean, I guess, it would be to keep you from doing something bad."

After Danks left his condo and was at the ballpark, he and Waylon Papst stayed in touch via cellphone, both men testified. Danks said he wanted to check on Blake's condition.

"I'd been gone a little while and checked on him again and Waylon said nothing had changed," he said. "And I said, 'Well, you have to call an ambulance now.' And he did."

THE AFTERMATH

In the days following the accident, the Papst family kept a cordial relationship with Danks. Blake's parents and then- fiancee stayed with Danks at his condo while Blake remained at Northwestern.

When he was released by the hospital, Papst remained in Chicago for about a month of treatment at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago.

And after the fiancée asked Danks to loan the Papst family $78,500 for the rehabilitation bills, the ballplayer agreed, according to bank records filed with the court. It's unclear from the depositions and court records if the loan has been paid back.

Papst next saw Danks at his house about three months later, and Danks also attended "Birdies for Blake," a fundraiser put on by Papst family and friends in Texas.

"I remember telling him that he had a good season," Papst testified. He said he didn't tell Danks he was upset with him.

Two years later, Papst filed his lawsuit. Six months earlier, Danks had signed a five-year $65-million extension with the Sox.

Danks, 30, still pitches for the Sox — he's now in his ninth season — but his friendships with both Papst brothers are over.

Danks countersued Waylon Papst, the owner of the condo and the condo association, seeking damages that would be paid out if Blake Papst's lawsuit is successful.

He has alleged that the area on the roof where Papst fell from is considered a "common element," making it the responsibility of the condo's association, and that there were safety issues with the building that violated the city's building code and helped lead to the fall.

He also alleged that the condo owner, Russell Salzman, was obligated to better protect the area and he violated the terms of the contract by not disclosing the building code problems.

Salzman, who no longer owns the condo, declined to comment through his attorney. An attorney for the condo association denied the allegations made by Papst and Danks and said the building was compliant with city regulations.

Madeline Dauksas, who also is no longer friends with Danks, has not been sued in the case. Through a lawyer, she declined to comment for this story.

Waylon Papst, 30, denied his brother's allegations against him in a one-page response to the court and called the incident "a terrible accident" because he and his brother "were drinking and being stupid." He said he didn't intentionally push his brother, only "wrestled" for his cellphone back. "We were too close to the edge and unfortunately it resulted in my brother's fall," he wrote.

At his deposition, he broke off from questioning by attorneys to directly address Blake, who was also in the room.

"John didn't make us go up on that roof…," Waylon said, "And I know that doesn't help your case, Blake, but it's the truth. He didn't make us go up there."

The brothers had lived in a house in Austin they bought together in 2007. They both worked at their parents' sign company, Banner Sign Graphics. They competed in bass fishing tournaments with friends.

But the injury and the suit destroyed their relationship too. When the brothers were deposed in 2013, both said they no longer were speaking to one another.

Now 34, Papst still does graphic design for his parents' company, along with Waylon. But Blake works from home and doesn't come into the office, his mother, Deborah, told the Tribune.

She described Papst's being paralyzed as a "troubling" experience but declined further comment.

Blake Papst testified that medical costs related to his injuries amounted to $40,000 annually. Customizing his house for a wheelchair cost at least $25,000, according to records he filed with the court. Papst testified that he lost strength in his hands, and his arms were often numb. He also said he suffered from anxiety and depression.

His suit seeks a court judgment against Danks but does not specify a dollar amount.

Deposition testimony shows that Danks offered a $2 million settlement that Papst and his family turned down. In January, the sides met for mediation, which was unsuccessful, and another session is scheduled for June.

If no settlement is reached, the trial could begin shortly after the end of the baseball season.

WHITE SOX' JOSE ABREU LEAVES GAME, HAS FINGER X-RAYED Daryl Van Schouwen, Chicago Sun Times | May 30, 2015

HOUSTON — White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu was headed to a local medical facility Friday night to have his right index finger X-rayed after the White Sox’ defeated the 6-3 in 11 innings.

Abreu has been bothered by the finger, which he initially injured while hitting in a batting cage at U.S. Cellular Field about two weeks ago. It was sore and swollen Friday. “That situation was getting worse and today I couldn’t continue playing,” said Abreu, who left during the eighth inning. “I was talking to [trainer] Hermie [Schneider] and I said ‘I can’t play any more.’ And that was the right choice not just for me but the team.”

Catcher Tyler Flowers took over at first base for Abreu, and Geovany Soto took Abreu’s spot in the lineup and replaced Flowers behind the plate. Soto broke a 3-all tie with a two-run double off the right field wall against Astros lefty Tony Sipp, so it all worked out for the Sox.

Abreu was charged with an error for a high flip to pitcher Carlos Rodon covering first during the sixth inning. Rodon got tangled up on the play with Luis Valbuena and fell to the ground.

“I didn’t throw the ball to the right spot because I didn’t feel the finger,” Abreu said through an interpreter. “It was the right decision at the right time.”

Manager Robin Ventura said Abreu would likely miss Saturday’s game. The Sox were keeping their fingers crossed that their All-Star and American League Rookie of the Year won’t miss much more than that. He was 2-for-4 with a run scored Friday, his 11th multi-hit game of the season, and has hit safely in 22 of the last 25 games.

“Right now I don’t know,” Abreu said. “I’m going to the hospital to take the X-ray and see the situation. When we get the results, Robin and Hermie will take a decision for tomorrow. Until we get the results, we have to wait.”

“We started moving guys all over the place, just trying to figure out who you got and who’s available,” Ventura said. Right fielder Avisail Garcia missed his fifth straight game with a sore right knee. He might return Saturday.

“It was a nice win,” Ventura said. “These guys battled but I think you look at team wins you’ll have at some point and this is a big one because it was a bit of a MASH unit, knowing that before we started the game. As the night went along, we tried to figure out how Robby felt and he felt good enough to go out and close it down. A lot of good stuff all around.” Ventura himself was part of the walking wounded after he hurt his back catching Flowers, who fell over the dugout rail chasing down a foul ball.

“He’s heavy, and it doesn’t feel very good,” said Ventura, whose back was wrapped in ice. Flowers was completely flipped over, head down and feet up while in Ventura’s grasp.”I think I might have saved his life,” Ventura said. “He better at least think so.”Flowers is 6-4, 245 pounds.”Definitely saved me from some more pain,” Flowers said. “I was expecting, once my feet left underneath me, I figured I was going down. It’d be tough to catch me and also trying to dodge the ball, a lot of things going on there.”

RODON IN CONTROL, WHITE SOX DEFEAT ASTROS IN 11 Daryl Van Schouwen, Chicago Sun Times | May 29, 2015

HOUSTON – White Sox manager Robin Ventura overheard pitching coach Don Cooper reflecting on 2005 before the White Sox played the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park Friday night. Ventura offered Cooper, the only uniformed holdover from the Sox’ team that won the World Series here, a small towel.

“You were a little choked up there,’’ Ventura said with a sly grin.

There were no tears in Cooper’s eyes but it’s clear he savors the moments as much as the Sox’ fan base.

“The next year we came back and won 90 games and didn’t get in, and you realize how difficult it is to be the last team standing,’’ Cooper said.

These 2015 Sox, who are recognizing the 10-year anniversary of the storybook season that culminated with a four-game sweep of the Astros, are finding it hard to stand at .500. Their 6-3 victory against a revitalized Astros team that had tied a franchise record with a 30-18 start left the Sox at 22-25. The Sox are 3-3 on an 11-game road trip with two games left in Houston and three against the Texas Rangers.

Geovany Soto, subbing into the game for Jose Abreu — who left with a irritation in his right index finger — doubled off the right-field wall to drive in two runs against Astros reliever Tony Sipp in the 11th, and Adam LaRoche drove in Soto to make it 6-3. Dan Jennings (1-1) struck out Preston Tucker and Evan Gattis with two runners on in the 10th to get the win, and David Robertson pitched a scoreless 11th for his 10th save.

Sox left-hander Carlos Rodon, coming off an eight-day break to make his fourth start, did what he could, not walking a single hitter — a noteworthy achievement considering he had walked 15 over his first three starts. He gave up eight hits and struck out four. Two of the three runs allowed by Rodon (3.45 ERA) were unearned.

“We’re looking to turn the walks into early contact or early strikes,’’ Cooper said before the game. “At the end of the first three pitches we’d like to be ahead or let make ‘em hit the ball.’’

Rodon left after 6 1/3 innings and 92 pitches trailing 3-2. He tried letting his defense help him, but that’s asking for trouble with the 13th-ranked outfit in the 15-team American League. The unearned runs were tallied because of a passed ball by Tyler Flowers (on a pitch well out of the zone, however) and then Chris Carter’s RBI single that glanced off the glove of third baseman Conor Gillaspie in the fourth; and first baseman Jose Abreu’s high flip to Rodon covering first that allowed the Astros’ third run to score.

The Sox got their own gift when catcher Hank Conger’s throw to first after a dropped third strike hit Gillaspie, allowing Alexei Ramirez to score from second in the third.

Gordon Beckham came off the bench to supply most of the Sox’ offensive punch. Beckham’s pinch sacrifice fly (for Gillaspie) in the fifth gave the Sox their second run, and Beckham connected for his third homer leading off the eighth inning against ’05 World Series figure Chad Qualls.

The Sox left five runners on during the first two innings against Astros rookie right-hander Lance McCullers and they left 10 on through nine innings.

There was concern that Rodon’s eight-day layoff — the Sox are monitoring his innings — would affect his command. If anything, it seemed to help.

“This last time I was kind of OK with [a layoff] because we need to do some side work,” Cooper said. “We need to get some work in there to work on a few things. Work on all of his pitches for strikes, work on being quicker to the plate to hold the running game, to address everything we’re seeing as things that need improvement. To have the two sidelines we did, I was happy with that.”

NOTES: First baseman Jose Abreu left the game during the eighth inning with irritation in his right index finger and was replaced by catcher Tyler Flowers. Geovany Soto took over behind the plate.

*Avisail Garcia (right knee) missed his fifth straight game but took batting practice and fielding work and appeared ready to return Saturday.

*Alexei Ramirez walked for the first time since April 19, spanning 143 plate appearances.

AVISAIL GARCIA OUT AGAIN, BUT SATURDAY RETURN TO WHITE SOX LINEUP LIKELY Daryl Van Schouwen, Chicago Sun Times | May 29, 2015

HOUSTON — Avisail Garcia missed his fifth consecutive start with a sore right knee Friday, but the White Sox right fielder tested it during batting practice and fielding work Friday and was hopeful he would play Saturday.

“It’s very encouraging watching him run around where he is,” manager Robin Ventura said before Friday’s game. “It looks like it would be tomorrow that we would get him in there and having him start again.”

The Sox (21-25) opened a three-game series at Minute Maid Park against the Houston Astros (30-18). Sox rookie Carlos Rodon made his fourth major league start and was opposed by Houston rookie Lance McCullers, who was making his third.

Garcia was batting .362 with four doubles, three homers, 15 RBI and a .894 OPS over his previous 25 games, so his loss has been significant, although J.B. Shuck has been productive offensively with three straight multi-hit games and was 9- for-25 over his last eight games.

Garcia (.327), who is 23, was eighth in the American League in batting average after batting .244 in 46 games last season, a campaign limited significantly by a shoulder injury.

“He’s able to stay in the middle of the field,” Ventura said. “He has a better idea of what guys are trying to do to him. He has better understanding of his mechanics. Everybody goes through their period where they don’t feel that good, but you have to be able to figure it out and get something out of it. I think he’s gotten to that point, where his progression has been accelerated because he got back [sooner than thought] last year [and get valuable at-bats].”

Garcia can’t wait to get back on the field.

“It’s kind of boring.” he said of not playing. “I don’t like to be on the bench. I get too bored. Annoying, too, because I want to be in the field competing and that’s why I’m here. Play hard and play the game. I don’t want to be in the trainer’s room doing nothing. No more trainer’s room and I’ll be happy.”

DOES ANYONE MISS HAWK HARRELSON? Dan Cahill, Chicago Sun Times | May 29, 2015

Is there a more polarizing announcer in Chicago sports than Hawk Harrelson?

He’s the Harry Caray of our day.

You either love’em or hate’em, dadgummit! (Personally, this Cubs fan loves him.)

Hawkeroo had to miss the White Sox road trip to have eye surgery.

Chuck Swirsky, who usually describes a much larger ball with the Bulls, has filled in admirably. So far, no tirades about Joe West, and his adjustment to analyst extraordinaire Steve Stone has been seamless.

Still, in Hawk’s absence his presence has been felt on Twitter where the voice of opposition always drowns out supporters.

Regardless of the social vitriol, the greatness of Hawk is that in his silence people still talk about him. http://chicago.suntimes.com/baseball/7/71/645711/anyone-miss-hawk-harrelson

SOTO'S DOUBLE HELPS WHITE SOX OVER ASTROS 6-3 IN 11 INNINGS By Kristie Rieken, Associated Press, Daily Herald | May 29, 2015

HOUSTON -- Geovany Soto hit a go-ahead, two-run double in the 11th inning and the White Sox beat the Houston Astros 6-3 on Friday night.

There were runners at first and second with two outs in the 11th when Soto's double off Tony Sipp dropped in front of the wall in right field to put Chicago up 5-3. Soto entered the game in the eighth inning for an injured Jose Abreu.

Adam LaRoche followed with an RBI single to push the lead to 6-3.

Dan Jennings (1-1) got the last two outs of the 10th for the win and David Robertson allowed one hit in a scoreless 11th for his 10th save.

Josh Fields (2-1) walked two in 1 1/3 innings for the loss. He was replaced by Sipp after a one-out walk in the 11th inning.

Gordon Beckham led off the eighth inning with a home run to center field off Chad Qualls to tie it at 3. Beckham drove in a run with a sacrifice fly in the fifth.

The game lasted more than 4 hours, a day after the White Sox were forced to play a doubleheader against the Orioles caused by the rioting in Baltimore last month on what would have been a day off.

Chris Carter drove in two runs and rookie Preston Tucker had two doubles for the Astros, who lead the American League with a 30-19 record.

White Sox rookie starter Carlos Rodon allowed eight hits and three runs one earned in a season-high 6 1/3 innings.

Fellow rookie Lance McCullers yielded five hits and two runs one earned with a season-high seven strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings for the Astros in his third major league start.

Jose Altuve singled before a double by Tucker to start the sixth inning. Carter hit a sacrifice fly that sent Altuve racing home to tie it at 2. Tucker advanced to third on an error by Melky Cabrera on the play.

The Astros took the lead when Luis Valbuena reached and Tucker scored on an error by Abreu. Abreu made a diving stop to grab the ground ball, but his throw to first was high and Rodon couldn't make the play.

McCullers was replaced by Joe Thatcher after consecutive walks loaded the bases with one out in the fifth inning.

A sacrifice fly by pinch-hitter Beckham scored Abreu to make it 2-1 before Thatcher was chased on a walk by J.B. Shuck. Will Harris limited the damage by retiring Tyler Flowers to end the inning.

The Astros tied it at 1-1 on an RBI single by Carter.

Alexei Ramirez doubled with two outs in the third before Conor Gillaspie struck out. But the ball rolled away from catcher Hank Conger and toward the backstop. Conger then hit Gillaspie on the back on an error on the throw to first to leave him safe at first and allow Ramirez to score and make it 1-0.

SOTO'S DOUBLE HELPS WHITE SOX OVER ASTROS 6-3 IN 11 INNINGS Associated Press, ESPN.com | May 29, 2015

HOUSTON -- After a doubleheader on Thursday, the last thing the Chicago White Sox needed was a game with extra innings.

But that's what they got on Friday night, and they were able to piece together enough plays to outlast the Houston Astros 6-3 in 11 innings.

Geovany Soto hit a go-ahead, two-run double to right with two outs in the 11th to put Chicago up 5-3. Soto entered the game in the eighth inning for an injured Jose Abreu.

Adam LaRoche followed with an RBI single to push the lead to 6-3.

"We had to start moving guys all over the place trying to figure out who you've got, who's available," manager Robin Ventura said. "It was a nice win."

The game lasted more than 4 hours, a day after the White Sox were forced to play a doubleheader against the Orioles caused by the rioting in Baltimore last month on what would have been a day off.

Dan Jennings (1-1) got the last two outs of the 10th for the win and David Robertson allowed one hit in a scoreless 11th for his 10th save.

"We did a great job," Robertson said of the bullpen. "We played hard the whole game. The whole team played well. We needed this win and we grinded it out."

Josh Fields (2-1) walked two in 1 1/3 innings for the loss.

"It's tough because these guys have been so good the entire season that any blemish is going to look a little more magnified," manager A.J. Hinch said of the bullpen. "These guys pitch with the game on the line. They're making a few little mistakes and getting burnt."

Gordon Beckham led off the eighth inning with a home run to center field off Chad Qualls to tie it at 3.

Chris Carter drove in two runs and rookie Preston Tucker had two doubles for the Astros, who lead the American League with a 30-19 record.

White Sox rookie starter Carlos Rodon allowed eight hits and three runs -- one earned -- in a season-high 6 1/3 innings.

Fellow rookie Lance McCullers yielded five hits and two runs -- one earned -- with a season-high seven strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings for the Astros in his third major league start.

Jose Altuve singled before a double by Tucker to start the sixth inning. Carter hit a sacrifice fly that sent Altuve racing home to tie it at 2. Tucker advanced to third on an error by Melky Cabrera on the play.

The Astros took the lead when Luis Valbuena reached and Tucker scored on an error by Abreu. Abreu made a diving stop to grab the ground ball, but his throw to first was high and Rodon couldn't make the play.

McCullers was replaced by Joe Thatcher after consecutive walks loaded the bases with one out in the fifth inning. A sacrifice fly by pinch-hitter Beckham scored Abreu to make it 2-1.

The Astros tied it at 1-1 on an RBI single by Carter.

Alexei Ramirez doubled with two outs in the third before Conor Gillaspie struck out. But the ball rolled away from catcher Hank Conger and toward the backstop. Conger then hit Gillaspie on the back on an error on the throw to first to leave him safe at first and allow Ramirez to score and make it 1-0.

TRAINER'S ROOM

White Sox: Abreu was replaced at first base in the eighth inning with irritation in his right index finger. He is listed as day to day. ... OF Avisail Garcia missed his fifth straight game after leaving Monday's game with inflammation in his right knee.

Astros: Houston starter Scott Feldman was placed on the 15-day disabled list after arthroscopic surgery on his right knee on Friday. He is expected to be out about six weeks. Left-hander Brett Oberholtzer, on the disabled list with a blister on his left index finger, is scheduled to be activated and take Feldman's spot in the rotation on Monday.

NICE CATCH, SKIP

Flowers flipped over the railing into the camera bay adjacent to the White Sox dugout chasing a foul ball in the fourth inning. But he was saved from a hard fall when Ventura leaned over, grabbed him and held him over his shoulder until others came to help him to his feet.

Ventura had an ice pack wrapped on his lower back after the game, a product of catching the 6-foot-4, 245-pound catcher.

"He's very heavy and it doesn't feel very good ... I think I might have saved his life," Ventura joked.

That was the second mishap with a foul ball in the game for Flowers, who got a cut on the bridge of his nose when a foul ball bounced off his mask in the first inning.

Evan Gattis was the batter on both plays.

UP NEXT

Houston left-hander Dallas Keuchel looks to get back on track after his career-best, eight-game winning streak dating to last season was snapped in his last start. He opposes Jose Quintana on Saturday. Keuchel threw his first of the season, but the Astros fell 4-3 to Baltimore.

Keuchel leads the American League by holding batters to a .190 average and is tied for second in wins with six.

GEOVANY SOTO'S TWO-RUN DOUBLE IN 11TH LIFTS WHITE SOX Dan Hayes, CSN | May 29, 2015

HOUSTON -- The short-handed White Sox finally got out of their own way on Friday night to win a tightly contested ballgame.

Two-out, run-scoring hits by Geovany Soto and Adam LaRoche helped the White Sox overcome a number of mistakes and key absences in a 6-3 victory over the Houston Astros in 11 innings at Minute Maid Field.

Three innings after he replaced Jose Abreu -- who left with a finger injury that is likely to keep him out Saturday -- Soto’s two-run, opposite-field double off Tony Sipp helped the White Sox win for only the fourth time in 12 tries. David Robertson pitched an inning for his 10th save, part of 4 2/3 scoreless frames by a restricted bullpen.

“Got a little messy there, limited on who we could use and mixing and matching,” White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. “We started moving guys all over the place, just trying to figure out who you got and who’s available.

“It was a nice win. These guys battled, but I think you look at team wins you’ll have at some point and this is a big one because it was a bit of a MASH unit.”

Abreu left the game in the eighth inning with a swollen right index finger he injured two weeks earlier and headed to the hospital after the game for X-rays. Initially, Tyler Flowers moved from catcher to replace Abreu before Ventura elected to remove the designated hitter and insert Adam LaRoche at first base for the bottom of the 11th. Then there was the bullpen, which was without Zach Duke and Jake Petricka as the White Sox played a doubleheader Thursday and had 15 games in the past 14 days.

But somehow the White Sox found a way to beat the first-place Astros despite their limitations and a gaggle of early mistakes. After Dan Jennings (1-1) pitched out of a jam in the bottom of the 10th, retiring Houston’s 3-4 hitters with two aboard, a White Sox offense that stranded 11, including nine in the first five innings, went to work.

Carlos Sanchez drew a one-out walk and singled off the lefty Sipp, the Astros’ seventh reliever of the game. Melky Cabrera struck out before Soto drove a 1-1 fastball to deep right to score both runners. LaRoche then singled to right to score Soto.

“To come in here and win the first game is important,” said third baseman Gordon Beckham, who earlier tied the game in the eighth inning with a solo homer and had two RBIs. “So far it’s been a pretty long trip, a lot of moving around and probably a lot of sore bodies out there with yesterday’s doubleheader and then tonight’s longer game. We’ve just got to keep scrapping.”

Robertson called the victory needed.

The White Sox didn’t play as if they wanted it early, tacking two unearned runs onto the record of Carlos Rodon. Rodon, who had walked 15 in his previous 16 innings, looked sharp and walked none over 6 1/3 innings. He struck out five and allowed eight hits.

But Conor Gillaspie misplayed a grounder into an RBI single in the fourth inning -- runner Evan Gattis moved into scoring position on a Tyler Flowers passed ball -- and in the sixth, Abreu flipped a ball high to Rodon, who was over to cover the base, which allowed Houston to take a 3-2 lead. Melky Cabrera also had a throwing error in the sixth that setup the go- ahead run.

The White Sox offense wasn’t up to par, either, as it had trouble converting myriad chances against young Astros starter Lance McCullers. The White Sox stranded two in the first inning, three in the second, another in the third and left the bases loaded in the fifth.

The White Sox scored in the third inning when Conor Gillaspie struck out but the ball bounded away and catcher Hank Conger’s throw to first hit Gillaspie in the back, which allowed Alexei Ramirez to score.

Beckham also had a pinch-hit sacrifice fly in the fifth inning with the bases loaded to tie the score at 2. Though Ventura wasn’t certain that Robertson would be available to pitch, the closer had no doubt he would pitch once his teammates pulled ahead in the 11th.

“I felt good today so I was ready to take the ball,” Robertson said. “We needed this win and we grinded it out.

“We just played so many tight ballgames lately, so many grinder games and to come out on top of one like this is nice.”

WHITE SOX: JOSE ABREU EXITS GAME WITH FINGER INJURY Dan Hayes, CSN | May 29, 2015

HOUSTON — White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu is likely to miss Saturday’s game with irritation in his right index finger after he left Friday’s contest early.

Abreu — who leads the team with eight home runs and 29 RBIs — exited in the bottom of the eighth inning of a 6-3 White Sox win. Afterward, Abreu said he was headed to the hospital for X-rays on a finger he initially injured two weeks ago during batting practice at U.S. Cellular Field.

“That situation was getting worse and today I couldn't continue playing,” Abreu said through an interpreter, describing the finger as swollen. “I was talking to (Herm Schneider) and I said I can't play any more. And that was the right choice not just for me, but the team.”

This is the second time the finger has bothered Abreu in a game. During the team’s last homestand, Abreu paused during an at-bat and told manager Robin Ventura his finger bothered him only to finish out the plate appearance. Abreu said his finger bothered him enough that he couldn’t feel the ball he flipped high for an error in the bottom of the sixth inning. The White Sox first replaced Abreu with Tyler Flowers before elected to eliminate the designated hitter spot by moving Adam LaRoche to the field in the bottom of the 11th inning. Ventura said it’s unlikely Abreu plays on Saturday.

“It looks different,” Ventura said. “It’s more swollen and he just couldn’t throw. We’ll re-evaluate that tomorrow. He doesn’t feel it’s broken or anything, just bruised.

“We had to get him out of the game. We started moving guys all over the place, just trying to figure out who you got and who’s available.

“It was a bit of a MASH unit.”

CHUCK SWIRSKY ENJOYING HIS TIME CALLING WHITE SOX GAMES CSN Staff, May 29, 2015

Chuck Swirsky is getting a whiff of new scenery by calling White Sox games while filling in for Hawk Harrelson, who's out due to a procedure.

It's the first time Swirsky, the Bulls radio play-by-play announcer, has called any type of baseball game. Despite the challenge, he's having a blast through the first few games of an 11-game road trip. Swirsky owes his smooth transition to Steve Stone.

"I'd be a fool to not tap into the resources of a man who, not only won a Cy Young award, but he's been in this game from Day 1," he said. ". ...I have the utmost respect for him."

[NBC SPORTS SHOP: Gear up, White Sox fans!]

While Swirsky was on the road, Tom Thibodeau had been relieved from his Bulls head coaching duties. Swirsky went on Kap and Haugh on Friday to share his thoughts.

DANIEL WEBB COULD FILL NEEDED ROLE IN WHITE SOX BULLPEN Dan Hayes, CSN | May 29, 2015

HOUSTON -- Daniel Webb gives the White Sox a more balanced bullpen than they had before Scott Carroll was sent to the minors on Thursday.

While the White Sox like what Carroll’s work (3.12 ERA in 17 1/3 innings this season), he and Hector Noesi have filled the same long role while Webb can pitch on an everyday basis if needed. Given this is the 15th day of 17 in a row in which the White Sox play the bullpen could use an additional arm.

“You’re getting a guy who can go multiple days,” Robin Ventura said. “Those guys (Carroll and Noesi) you don’t necessarily want to do that, with them being longer guys. They like being stretched out. Having Webby, you’re looking at a guy who might be more of a situational guy, who would get an inning, and you don’t have to sit there and hopefully get him three or four innings.”

Because he had minor league options and the White Sox added new faces to the mix, Webb wasn’t surprised to start at Triple-A Charlotte after he posted an 8.68 ERA with eight walks and seven strikeouts in 9 1/3 innings this spring.

The right-hander has a 4.01 ERA in 15 games at Triple-A Charlotte this season but has been hot of late with 6 2/3 scoreless innings over his last four appearances. In that time Webb has walked two batters and not allowed a hit. Webb, 25, walked 42 batters in 67 2/3 innings last season.

“Limiting the walks has always been the biggest thing I need to do,” Webb said. “Just trying to stay aggressive and not be so picky about limiting the walks. Try to take it easy to throw strikes. That’s helped me a lot this year.

“It’s great to get the call up and stay and make the trip here. Hopefully just competing and try to stay up here.”

AVISAIL GARCIA AIMS TO RETURN TO WHITE SOX LINEUP SATURDAY Dan Hayes, CSN | May 29, 2015

HOUSTON -- He didn’t start Friday, but Avisail Garcia has progressed enough to where Robin Ventura considers him an option to play.

The White Sox manager said Friday afternoon that Garcia could appear as a in the opener of a three-game series against the Houston Astros. Even if he doesn’t, Garcia, who performed baseball activity Friday for the first time in four days, looks on track to start on Saturday afternoon, barring a setback with his right knee.

“He looks pretty good,” Ventura said. “There is a chance he could get in there, if the situation arises that looks like a good spot for him, you could put him in there. I don’t know if I necessarily would put him in the outfield (Friday) until we see him run around and really see the ball off the bat. But he looks good. It’s very encouraging watching him run around where he is. It looks like it would be (Saturday) that we would get him in there and having him start again.”

Prior to Friday, Garcia had been in rest and rehab mode since he exited Monday’s game in Toronto after only 1 1/2 innings. With three-plus days of treatment under his belt, Garcia hit the field early Friday to run for Ventura and the training staff. Garcia, who also participated in batting practice and took grounders and fly balls for the first time since Monday, said he feels much better.

“With the rest and treatment the trainers gave to me, I feel really good,” Garcia said. “Couldn’t put my knee up yesterday, but now I’m stretching it out when I go to my room, my bed, doing some exercise. It feels pretty good.”

“I think I will play (Saturday).”