Saturday saw the White Sox play in their last two split squad games before the conclusion of spring training.  The White Sox sent one squad to the San Diego Padres camp, while the other squad welcomed the San Francisco Giants to Camelback Ranch.

In the first matchup versus the San Diego Padres, the White Sox managed to put up a little offense for Chris Beck, their rookie right-handed starting pitcher.   Avisail Garcia started the scoring out in the most unfortunate way: by a double play to second base which scored Micah Johnson in the top of the third inning to tie it up 1-1.

Garcia came back up in the top of the eighth inning and hit a single to right field off of Padres’ first baseman Yonder Alonso to score Micah Johnson.  Adam Dunn then added a run with a ground out to first base which scored right fielder Denis Phipps, making it 3-1.  The White Sox offense failed to add any more runs in the ninth.

Second baseman Micah Johnson, third baseman Connor Gillaspie, and left fielder Dayan Viciedo went two for four each in the game.  Adam Dunn also went one for two with a pair of walks.

Starter Chris Beck and the White Sox relievers turned their performances around a little bit as compared to the previous couple games.  Beck turned in a decent five innings in which he gave up five hits and one earned run.  He also gave up a walk while striking out five batters.  The bottom of the first was Beck’s only blemish in the run category. He gave up a line drive double to left field center which scored Alexi Amarista.

Both relievers, Scott Carroll and Dylan Axelrod, followed up Beck’s performance with two hit-one run performances themselves.  Carroll did it while locking down the sixth through eighth innings, while Axelrod was given the blown save in the ninth.

The game ended after the ninth inning as a 3-3 tie.

In the second matchup of the day, the White Sox took on the Tim Hudson and the San Francisco Giants.

The Sox sent Felipe Paulino to the hill in his fifth start of the spring.  Much like his last start, Paulino created his own trouble.  The second inning started off with a base on balls to Brandon Hicks and the inning just got worse from there.  After a double play to Juan Perez, Paulino walked Giants first baseman Mark Minicozzi, and gave up a back to back singles to Ehire Adrianza and Tim Hudson to load the bases.  Center fielder Gregor Blanco then walked giving the Giants their first run of the game.

From the third through fifth innings, Paulino calmed down and went the minimum faced even though he gave up a walk to Juan Perez in the forth.  The sixth inning is where things fell apart.

Buster Posey, who went three for four on the day, led off with a single then stole second base.  After a single that moved Posey to third and a stolen base by Brandon Hicks, Juan Perez hit a three-run homer to left field off of Paulino making it 4-1.  Minicozzi would chase Paulino with his single to center.

As for the Sox, Alejandro DeAza got the offense going with his first home run to right field in the second inning.  The Sox offense finally came to life in the seventh inning with a double by back-up catcher to right field.  Right fielder Blake Tekotte and center fielder Adam Eaton followed the double up with singles of their own scoring Nieto.

After a fielder’s choice ground out by second baseman Marcus Semien moves Blake Tekotte out to third.  First baseman Dan Black would fly out to left scoring Tekotte making it seven to three.

After a pitching change by the Giants, pitch hitter Grant Buckner doubled to left field which scored Semien and Black making it seven to five.

The Giants would add one in the ninth, but the Sox would go out in order in the eighth.  In the ninth the Sox would get a single by Dan Black and had Grant Buckner reach on a catcher’s interference call.  Unfortunately for the Sox neither player would score.  The White Sox would fall by the eight to five score.

The next game was Sunday when the White Sox would travel to take on Tyler Chatwood, Michael Cuddyer and the Colorado Rockies.