Confident Jeff Samardzija dominates for White Sox

Confident Jeff Samardzija dominates for White Sox

White Sox right-hander Jeff Samardzija not only retired 17 consecutive batters at one point Friday,
 he also set down 21 of the last 22 Twins batters he faced. 

CHICAGO -- If Jeff Samardzija's pitches did not tell the story of how well he was performing Saturday night, the body language of the Chicago White Sox starter certainly did.

After a somewhat slow start when he gave up two first-inning runs and went to a three-ball count on five of the first six batters, Samardzija settled into a groove and delivered the kind of outing the White Sox hoped they would get from the right-hander.

He not only retired 17 consecutive batters at one point, the most from a White Sox pitcher this season, but he also set down 21 of the last 22 batters he faced, throwing 118 pitches and lasting long enough for the White Sox's offense to put up a late run and earn him a victory in the team's 3-2 triumph over the Minnesota Twins.