White Sox right-hander Mike Clevinger was scratched from his scheduled start against the Blue Jays on Tuesday night and placed on the 15-day injured list with right elbow inflammation.
Introducing right-hander Jake Woodford, the 10th starting pitcher used by the Sox in the first two months of the season. Woodford, who had his contract selected from Triple-A Charlotte, started in Clevinger’s place and allowed three runs on five hits and two walks in 4„ innings in a 7-2 loss before 11,852 (tickets sold) at Guaranteed Rate Field.
Clevinger received a shot of cortisone and will shut down for 48 hours before he resumes throwing, he said. He expects to return when the 15 days on the IL are up.
“A little fluid buildup in the bottom of the elbow,” Clevinger said.
“It’s very frustrating, but hoping I miss just two turns in the rotation. Trying to stay optimistic.”
Left-hander Sammy Peralta, a Sox waiver claim two days ago, was designated for assignment to make room for Woodford, 27, who owns a 4.29 ERA over 80 major league games during his four seasons with the Cardinals. He has a 5.26 ERA over 10 starts with Charlotte.
Woodford struck out four Jays.
Clevinger is 0-3 with a 6.75 ERA in four starts this season.
Peralta was claimed off waivers from the Mariners on Sunday. He was claimed by the Mariners off waivers from the Sox on April 2 and designated for assignment on Thursday.
Free-falling futility
The Sox lost their seventh straight game and fell to 15-41, their worst 46-game start ever, and lost to the Blue Jays (25-29) for the 11th time in the last 12 meetings between the teams. There was a 40-minute rain delay at the start and a one hour, eight-minute delay before the Sox batted in the ninth.
Pitcher Garrett Crochet was ejected before the second delay.
Robert Jr. homers in rehab with Charlotte
Center fielder Luis Robert Jr.’s rehab assignment began with an opposite field home run in his first plate appearance at Charlotte. Robert was 1-for-3 with two runs scored.
The expectation for Robert is one week of games before he rejoins the Sox, for whom he hasn’t played since suffering a hip flexor strain April 5.
“He’s excited, I’m excited, I think everybody is excited to watch him,” manager Pedro Grifol said. “I care about what he says after the game. How he felt. And then what he’s going to say tomorrow morning, how he felt. And then we’ll do the same thing.”
Grifol said Robert must run and field without hesitation before he is deemed ready.
“It’s not in our best interest to rush this,” he said.
This and that
Left-hander Shane Drohan had his rehab assignment transferred from High-A Winston-Salem to Charlotte.
• Crochet’s 24-inning scoreless streak from May 5-26 was the longest by a Sox in a season since reliever Jesse Crain’s 29 innings in 2013. Crochet was ejected before the second rain delay Tuesday.
• The Sox have hit six homers in the last 13 games and are last in the majors with 38.
• The start of the game was delayed by rain for 40 minutes.