DETROIT (AP) — Drew Thorpe pitched six scoreless innings and got his first major league win in his third start, pitching the Chicago White Sox over the Detroit Tigers 5-1 on Saturday.
Thorpe (1-1) allowed two hits and four walks while striking out five.
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DETROIT (AP) — Drew Thorpe pitched six scoreless innings and got his first major league win in his third start, pitching the Chicago White Sox over the Detroit Tigers 5-1 on Saturday.
Chicago White Sox's Nicky Lopez hits a one-run double against the Detroit Tigers in the fourth inning of a baseball game, Saturday, June 22, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Chicago White Sox's Luis Robert Jr. (88) celebrates scoring against the Detroit Tigers in the fourth inning of a baseball game, Saturday, June 22, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Detroit Tigers pitcher Kenta Maeda throws Chicago White Sox's Andrew Vaughn out at first base in the fourth inning of a baseball game, Saturday, June 22, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Detroit Tigers shortstop Ryan Kreidler wears a towel on his head in the hot weather against the Chicago White Sox in the first inning of a baseball game, Saturday, June 22, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Chicago White Sox pitcher Drew Thorpe throws against the Detroit Tigers in the first inning of a baseball game, Saturday, June 22, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Chicago White Sox pitcher Drew Thorpe throws against the Detroit Tigers in the first inning of a baseball game, Saturday, June 22, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Chicago White Sox pitcher Drew Thorpe (33) throws against the Detroit Tigers in the fourth inning of a baseball game, Saturday, June 22, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
“This is me. I'm pretty even-keeled, super calm, relaxed,” said Thorpe, who was given a beer shower by his teammates. “That's just how I've always been.”
The 23-year-old right-hander didn’t get a decision in his debut at Seattle on June 11, then lasted 3 1/3 innings in a 12-5 loss at Arizona on June 16.
“You just flush it, right? They're going to happen, it's probably going to happen again,” he said. “It's just how you move past it and get ready for the next one.”
A second-round pick by the Yankees in the 2022 amateur draft, Thorpe was dealt to San Diego in the December trade that brought Juan Soto to New York, then was traded to Chicago in March as part of a package for right-hander Dylan Cease.
He made 11 starts at Double-A Birmingham prior to the callup.
“What I like about him, he's a great competitor," manager Pedro Grifol said. “Through the nerves, through how he hides everything, he competes and he doesn't shy away from contact.”
Korey Lee homered, Nicky Lopez had three hits and an RBI, and Andrew Vaughn, Paul DeJong and Lenyn Sosa drove in runs as the major league-worst White Sox (21-57) stopped a three-game losing streak.
Justin Anderson, John Brebbia and Michael Kopech pitched an inning each, with Brebbia allowing Mark Canha's RBI groundout in the eighth.
Detroit (35-41) has lost five of six, scoring six runs during that span.
“We're just not stringing some hits together,” said Matt Vierling, who scored the Tigers' only run. “I feel like offensively we're in a little bit of a lull.”
Kenta Maeda (2-4) gave up three runs and eight hits in 4 2/3 innings, dropping to 0-3 in his last five starts.
DeJong had an RBI single in the fourth and scored on Lopez's double, Vaughn had an RBI single in the fifth and Lee hit his seventh homer in a two-run sixth that included Sosa's run-scoring single.
TRAINER'S ROOM
White Sox: OF Eloy Jiménez, on the 10-day IL since May 22 due to a left hamstring strain, could return Monday. Jiménez was 8 for 18 (.444) with a home run and five RBIs in six games entering Saturday at the Arizona Complex League in a rehab assignment.
UP NEXT
White Sox RHP Jonathan Cannon (1-1, 3.34 ERA), who got his first big league victory against Houston in his last start, will oppose RHP Reese Olson (1-8, 3.39 ERA) in the series finale on Sunday.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Chicago White Sox's Korey Lee hits a home run against the Detroit Tigers in the sixth inning of a baseball game, Saturday, June 22, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Chicago White Sox's Nicky Lopez hits a one-run double against the Detroit Tigers in the fourth inning of a baseball game, Saturday, June 22, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Chicago White Sox's Luis Robert Jr. (88) celebrates scoring against the Detroit Tigers in the fourth inning of a baseball game, Saturday, June 22, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Detroit Tigers pitcher Kenta Maeda throws Chicago White Sox's Andrew Vaughn out at first base in the fourth inning of a baseball game, Saturday, June 22, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Detroit Tigers shortstop Ryan Kreidler wears a towel on his head in the hot weather against the Chicago White Sox in the first inning of a baseball game, Saturday, June 22, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Chicago White Sox pitcher Drew Thorpe throws against the Detroit Tigers in the first inning of a baseball game, Saturday, June 22, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Chicago White Sox pitcher Drew Thorpe throws against the Detroit Tigers in the first inning of a baseball game, Saturday, June 22, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Chicago White Sox pitcher Drew Thorpe (33) throws against the Detroit Tigers in the fourth inning of a baseball game, Saturday, June 22, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
SPIELBERG, Austria (AP) — Lando Norris has closed the speed gap to Max Verstappen and will now try to beat the Formula One ace on Red Bull's home track.
Norris has steered his McLaren to consecutive runner-up finishes behind the defending champion. This weekend he faces the challenge of trying to edge Verstappen at the Red Bull Ring, where the Dutch driver has won four of the last six races. Red Bull is based in Britain but holds an Austrian license.
Verstappen cruised to a third consecutive title last year by winning 19 of 23 races, while his Red Bull partner Sergio Pérez gobbled up another two, leaving just Ferrari's Carlos Sainz as the only other driver to savor a victory.
Verstappen is still on top with seven wins in 10 races in 2024, but the field is giving him more of a fight.
Norris has emerged as his No. 1 challenger ever since the 24-year-old British driver recorded his first career victory in Miami in May. Verstappen had started that race from pole but made a costly mistake when he hit a chicane and had to pit.
Norris finished second to Verstappen in Montreal three weeks ago and then followed that up with a very strong weekend at the Spanish GP last weekend. Norris edged Verstappen for pole position in qualifying, and then lamented a poor start that he believed cost him a victory in Barcelona.
Verstappen recognized that McLaren was, at least for now, better in some areas, especially in making their tires last.
“McLaren at the moment are just very solid,” Verstappen said Thursday. “They’re good everywhere, every single track.
“Also I think you could see in Barcelona, they were very good on their tires. They could just push more on them compared to everyone else on the grid ... Lando was definitely catching up a lot.”
Norris has moved into second place in the drivers’ standings at 69 points behind Verstappen. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc is two points behind Norris in third.
In Spain, Norris was convinced that his car was the fastest — he picked up a point for the quickest race lap — and that his mistake at the race start when he was passed by both Verstappen and Mercedes’ George Russell condemned him to a second-place finish.
He said Thursday that to get that edge over a poised champion like Verstappen, he will need a “perfect” race.
“We’re on a level now where everything has to be perfect,” Norris said ahead of the Austrian GP. “We’re against one of the best drivers ever in Formula 1, who’s performing at an incredibly high level, and anything that wasn’t perfect, like my start last weekend, you pay the price for. Simple as that.”
Mercedes is also aiming to stay in the thick of it after finished third and fourth in both Montreal and Barcelona.
Lewis Hamilton won his first podium of the season — his last with Mercedes before he joins Ferrari next year — last weekend.
Ferrari, for its part, hopes to bounce back from a dip in form since Leclerc won on the slow Monaco track.
INSIDE THE LINES
The novelty of this year’s race are the track changes to help avoid the penalties stewards handed out for drivers who drove outside the track limits in 2023. A track limit is violated when all four wheels of a car go outside the white line bordering the track.
To try to encourage drivers to keep inside the lines, FIA has added a gravel strip beyond the curb of the particularly troublesome Turns 9 and 10. They also moved the white line on Turn 4.
The Austrian GP is the third of six races this year that includes a sprint race. The sprint race is held on Saturday before qualifying. It is a short race of 100 kms, about a third of the distance of a grand prix, with eight points going to the winner, seven to second place, and so on down for the top eight finishers.
VERSTAPPEN TOPS PRACTICE
Verstappen topped the time charts during the weekend's sole hour-long practice session on Friday.
His Red Bull did suffer an engine problem that brought out a red flag, but he was back on the track a few minutes later.
Norris went into the gravel on Turn 4 and only managed the 13th best time.
The other two regular practice session won't be held because of the sprint race format. Qualifying for the sprint race is later on Friday.
AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain steers his car during the first free practice at the Red Bull Ring racetrack in Spielberg, Austria, Friday, June 28, 2024. The Austrian Formula One Grand Prix will be held on Sunday. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands steers his car during the first free practice at the Red Bull Ring racetrack in Spielberg, Austria, Friday, June 28, 2024. The Austrian Formula One Grand Prix will be held on Sunday. (AP Photo/Christian Bruna)
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands steers his car during the first free practice at the Red Bull Ring racetrack in Spielberg, Austria, Friday, June 28, 2024. The Austrian Formula One Grand Prix will be held on Sunday. (AP Photo/Christian Bruna)
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc of Monaco speaks during a news conference the Red Bull Ring racetrack in Spielberg, Austria, Thursday, June 27, 2024. The Austrian Formula One Grand Prix will be held on Sunday. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands attends a news conference the Red Bull Ring racetrack in Spielberg, Austria, Thursday, June 27, 2024. The Austrian Formula One Grand Prix will be held on Sunday. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain arrives to the Red Bull Ring racetrack in Spielberg, Austria, Thursday, June 27, 2024. The Austrian Formula One Grand Prix will be held on Sunday. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain arrives to the Red Bull Ring racetrack in Spielberg, Austria, Thursday, June,2024. The Austrian Formula One Grand Prix will be held on Sunday. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain steers his car during the first free practice at the Red Bull Ring racetrack in Spielberg, Austria, Friday, June 28, 2024. The Austrian Formula One Grand Prix will be held on Sunday. (AP Photo/Christian Bruna)
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands steers his car during the first free practice at the Red Bull Ring racetrack in Spielberg, Austria, Friday, June 28, 2024. The Austrian Formula One Grand Prix will be held on Sunday. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
