Rangers Lose To White Sox
via Texas Rangers
CHICAGO — Despite coming up short against Texas starter Doug Fister, the White Sox capitalized against the Rangers’ bullpen in a big way.
Fister held the White Sox scoreless through seven innings, but with two out and nobody on in the eighth, Yoan Moncada sparked a four-run rally to boost Chicago to a 4-2 win. The victory snapped the White Sox five-game losing streak at home and is just their fourth win at Guaranteed Rate Field this season.
“I’m glad we are starting to get some breaks here and there,” White Sox manager Rick Renteria said. “At the end, they were able to put a line together and keep battling and, with a couple of walks, continue to put some runs across the board. They put a really good fight together today.”
Following a ground-rule double, Moncada advanced to third on a passed ball with Yolmer Sanchez at the plate, and then scored when reliever Jose Leclerc threw away Sanchez’s comebacker. After an intentional walk to Jose Abreu, Leclerc unintentionally walked Nicky Delmonico and Matt Davidson to force in the tying run, and Welington Castillo drove in the go-ahead runs with a line-drive single.
Moncada originally thought he had an inside-the-park home run, dashing completely around the bases without a throw in from the outfield. But the ball had gotten stuck under the outfield fence and he was sent back to second. Moncada finished the night with three hits, raising his batting average to .270.
“I feel that right now, I’m recognizing the pitches better than I was doing before,” Moncada said through team interpreter Billy Russo. “That’s helping me to swing at better pitches and put the barrel on the ball.”
White Sox starter James Shields pitched his best game of the season, tossing 7 1/3 innings of one-run ball. His only run allowed came on a soft Shin-Soo Choo single that snuck through the shift and past a diving Tim Anderson.
“I felt pretty good out there, pounded the strike zone for the most part,” Shields said. “Had a few more walks than I wanted to, but the pitcher did a good job on the other side, I had to keep us in the game as long as I possibly can.”
Fister managed to pitch better, holding the White Sox off the scoreboard and getting several key outs on the bases. He picked off Moncada in the first and induced two double plays, including a play in the sixth when the White Sox put on the hit-and-run.
The Rangers tacked on an insurance run in the eighth when Nomar Mazara tripled off reliever Luis Avilan, driving in Choo from first. It ultimately proved too little with Chicago’s late rally.
“It’s the best when you can win a game like tonight,” Moncada said. “We try to come here every day and go out there thinking that we have a shot that night to win the game. We always think that way. We try to play hard and try to do our best and win games.”
