. Garcia then was hit by a pitch, putting runners on first and second.After Tyler Saladino struck out swinging, Jose Abreu tied it at 6 with a single to right. Davidson followed with another base hit, and then was mobbed by his teammates as he ran around the infield.The White Sox trailed 6-1 before they scored four times in the eighth, capped by consecutive homers for Davidson and Yolmer Sanchez. Davidson also hit a game-ending, two-run homer in Sunday's 3-1 victory over Cleveland.Chris Beck (2-1) pitched a scoreless inning for the win, helped by right fielder Alen Hanson bringing in a foul popup tipped into the air by first baseman Abreu.Josh Donaldson, Russell Martin and Justin Smoak homered for Toronto, which lost for the third time in four games. Darwin Barney got a three-run double on a frightening play in the sixth, and Marco Estrada pitched seven sparkling innings.With two outs and the bases loaded, Barney hit a fly ball into shallow right field. A sprinting Moncada tried to pull up as Willy Garcia went for the sliding catch, but he kneed the right fielder in the head and the ball trickled out of Garcia's glove.The crowd groaned as the replay was shown on the videoboard in center field. Moncada, who is widely regarded as one of baseball's top prospects, put no pressure on his right leg while he was helped to a cart by Abreu. The Cuban slugger patted his countryman on the back of his head before he was zipped away.The team said X-rays on Moncada were negative, and the second baseman is day to day with a bruised knee. Garcia, who walked off under his own power, has a head contusion and will be evaluated again Tuesday morning.The Blue Jays (49-57) were coming off a dramatic 11-10 victory against the Angels on Steve Pearce's second game-ending grand slam in four days. But they remain in last place in the AL East, on the fringe of the wild-card race, and left-hander Francisco Liriano and reliever Joe Smith were shipped out in a pair of trades ahead of the non-waiver deadline.''It's like having a couple friends changing schools, so hopefully they pitch well where they are at and they're happy,'' Martin said. ''But we're definitely going to miss those guys, that's for sure.'' Toronto sent Liriano and cash to AL-leading Houston for outfielders Nori Aoki and Teoscar Hernandez. Smith was traded to Cleveland for two minor leaguers.The White Sox (41-62) had lost 17 of 20. After trading several veterans for more prospects in July, they were quiet on the final day of the month.MAKING MOVESThe Blue Jays also reinstated left-hander J. P. Howell from the 15-day disabled list and brought up left-hander Brett Oberholtzer from Triple-A Buffalo. Howell was sidelined by a left shoulder injury.Aoki is expected to join Toronto before Tuesday's game.TRAINER'S ROOMBlue Jays: RHP Aaron Sanchez, who is on the disabled list because of a recurrence of a blister on the middle finger of his right hand, is nearing a return. ''He's feeling a lot better,'' manager John Gibbons said. ''He said he's going to go out and play some catch today, and obviously that's a good thing.'' Sanchez could take Liriano's spot in the rotation.White Sox: RHP Dylan Covey (strained left oblique) was placed on an injury rehab assignment with the Arizona Rookie League White Sox.UP NEXTBlue Jays right-hander Marcus Stroman (9-5, 3.08 ERA) faces White Sox right-hander Mike Pelfrey (3-8, 4.73 ERA) in the second game of the series on Tuesday night. Stroman is winless in his last three starts despite a 1.89 ERA over that stretch. Pelfrey is 0-3 with a 7.07 ERA in his last seven games, six starts.---More baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball---Jay Cohen can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/jcohenap)
Skidding White Sox host Blue Jays 1h ago• 3 min read CHICAGO -- Veteran right-hander James Shields occupies the locker closest to the entrance of the Chicago White Sox's clubhouse at Guaranteed Rate Field.As Chicago continues to trade for prospects to enrich its farm system amid a franchise rebuild, Shields gets to be the first on the team to greet newcomers.While he may be understandably mum before starting Monday in the series opener against the Toronto Blue Jays, Shields remains up front with new teammates about staying the course and remaining committed toward development for the future."Some of these young kids, I mean, it's tough losing," Shields said. "When I got called up in Tampa in 2006, we lost 99 games. But we knew that eventually it was going to turn around, and two years later we were in the World Series. You know, these guys have to understand that this is a process. And you keep grinding, you keep getting better on the field, and things will turn around." The White Sox (40-62) have lost 15 of their past 17 games and 18 of 21, but players realize they must stay diligent, even if the standings might appear more harrowing by the day.It may be a difficult reality to face with two months remaining in the season, but the White Sox figure a constant mindset can only help them in the rebuild."You know, guys coming in and out, it's always tough to see guys go, and it's always good to see new faces," left-hander David Holmberg said. "We just try to keep our heads down here and do our job and keep playing baseball." The Blue Jays (49-56) will be Chicago's final opponent in an eight-game homestand. Toronto's visit will complete a stretch in which Chicago has faced the four League Championship Series qualifiers from 2016 in four successive home series.The Blue Jays avoided a three-game sweep in spectacular fashion on Sunday, getting a walk-off grand slam from Steve Pearce to cap a seven-run rally in the bottom of the ninth for an 11-10 win over the Los Angeles Angels.Toronto has won five of seven, with the last three victories coming in walk-off fashion."Feels great," said Pearce, who joined Cy Williams and Jim Presley as the only players in major league history with two game-ending grand slams in the same season. "Really hasn't sunk in yet." "It was pretty fun to watch," Toronto manager John Gibbons added.Shields (2-3, 5.86 ERA) is set to oppose Toronto right-hander Marco Estrada (4-7, 5.43 ERA) on Monday.Shields is 12-6 with a 3.32 ERA in 25 career starts against the Blue Jays, while Estrada is 0-1 with a 3.95 ERA in two career starts against the White Sox.Shields earned a no-decision in a June 18 start at Toronto when he spaced seven hits and three runs over 5 2/3 innings, walking one and striking out three.Chicago fell to 31-37 after losing that game, and its roster now looks vastly different. This month, the White Sox have dealt away left-hander Jose Quintana, third baseman Todd Frazier and relievers David Robertson, Dan Jennings, Tommy Kahnle and Anthony Swarzak.Before the Sunday game, the White Sox sent left fielder Melky Cabrera to the Kansas City Royals for minor league pitchers A. J. Puckett and Andre Davis. Chicago general manager Rick Hahn said the team would entertain conversations about further trades until the deadline passes Monday at 4 p.m. EDT."At the end of the day, everyone wants to win here, you know. We don't want to lose," Shields said. "We're going to compete no matter what team, in and out, gets brought up in here. And we've got a good group of guys in here. It's unfortunate we're not winning right now. We're doing everything we possibly can, and things aren't going our way. But we're going to keep grinding this thing out and finish the season strong."
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