Sean Burke picks up where Noah Schultz left off in White Sox' win vs. Padres

SAN DIEGO — Sean Burke followed Noah Schultz with another spectacular start Saturday night as the White Sox beat the Padres 4-0 at Petco Park. The pair allowed a combined six hits; each worked six innings without allowing a run. The Sox outscored the Padres 12-2 to take the first two games of a three-game series that ends Sunday.

Schultz walked three to load the bases with two outs in the first inning Friday night in the Sox’ 8-2 win, ending what could’ve been a disaster when Ty France grounded out to second. From there, Schultz allowed a single and triple to Fernando Tatis Jr. before leaving after 86 pitches, 28 of them in the first inning. Burke threw 85 pitches, allowed four hits, struck out eight and was never really in trouble.

“I just love playing here: the atmosphere, the environment,” Burke said about playing at Petco Park in front of the 13th sellout crowd (42,758) already this season. “The stadium being right downtown, right by the water. Good mound, good crowd. They always have a good team, too. You elevate yourself. I just enjoy it.”

Manager Will Venable admitted Burke could’ve pitched the seventh, but a 12-pitch at-bat to strike out Manny Machado in the sixth might have precluded that. Without discussion, Venable went to the bullpen.

“I think I could’ve, but the Machado at-bat kind of ruined my chances of that,” said Burke, now 2-2 in six starts. “I felt good.”

With Hays, Sox will proceed with caution

Austin Hays, who return-ed from a Grade  1 right hamstring strain last week, was back in the starting defensive lineup Friday night, and all was good, he said.

“You know the way it goes: The first week playing on these things is always the worst, but once you get through all that, it’s fine,’’ he said Saturday before the game.

Because of concerns about the soft-tissue injury recurring, Venable said he would take it easy on Hays for the time being.

“He’s not going to play nine innings,” Venable said. “We’re not going to press it.”

True to his word, Hays started in right field, and after a single in the eighth inning, he was yanked for Derek Hill as a defensive replacement. He was not in the lineup Saturday with the recently recalled Jarred Kelenic starting in right.

Hays was injured pursuing a fly ball April  6. He was put on the 10-day injured list April 7. He was on a minor-league rehab assignment and only days away from being reactivated when Tanner Murray fractured and dislocated his left shoulder making a diving catch against the Nationals on April  26. That sped up Hays’ return.

“I was watching the game when Tanner dove for the ball, and it looked like he was hurt pretty badly,” Hays said.

“So I was expecting a call. I pretty much knew it was going to be me because I was only a day or two away anyway. I think I wound up rejoining the team three days early.”

It’s a restart for Hays, who only played in 11 games and had 39 at-bats before the injury. He’s batting .233 with a homer and seven RBI.