White Sox Slam Rangers
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ARLINGTON, Texas — The Chicago White Sox flipped the script in their series finale at Texas.
After Rangers pitching held back the White Sox and Texas hitters pounded the Chicago starters in the first two game of the series, the White Sox silenced Ranger bats and blasted their way to a 16-2 victory on Sunday at Globe Life Park.
White Sox starting pitcher Erik Johnson (1-1) gave up one hit and one earned run in five innings and Chicago relievers Ronald Belisario, Andre Rienzo and Matt Lindstrom held Texas to two total hits.
Johnson walked five, had a wild pitch and threw one more strike than balls in his 87 pitches, but after White Sox starters gave up 15 runs in the first two games of the series, Johnson would take Sunday’s result.
“It’s always a good day if you get a win, if the team gets a win especially,” Johnson said. “I didn’t have my command like I wanted to. It’s not the day that I wanted but I’ll take it. I did make some big pitches when I needed them.”
Meanwhile, Chicago scored three runs in each of the fifth and sixth innings to establish a six-run lead and firm command, then kept producing.
The White Sox took control with three runs in the top of the sixth inning, all driven in when second baseman Marcus Semien tripled to the gap in left-center field with two out.
Semien’s drive scored right fielder Dayan Viciedo, shortstop Alexei Ramirez and center
fielder Jordan Danks. It also helped Chicago put an odd incident in the sixth behind.
White Sox left fielder Alejandro De Aza swung on a 1-2 pitch and was hit on the hands by the ball. Home plate umpire James Hoye called De Aza out swinging for the second out of the inning. The call stood after a video review.
“They said it hit my hand and it didn’t the bat and I swung the bat,” De Aza said. “I don’t know. What I know, I didn’t swing the bat and the ball hit me and hit the bat.”
The White Sox surged ahead in the top of the fifth when first baseman Jose Abreu blasted a two-run home run on a 1-1 pitch from Rangers starter Robbie Ross. The ball traveled an estimated 403 feet to right field.
Abreu’s homer gave the White Sox a 5-2 lead and came on the heels of third baseman Conor Gillaspie’s sacrifice fly to right that scored catcher Tyler Flowers.
Ross didn’t walk a batter and threw strikes 76 percent of the time.
“It’s location,” Rangers manager Ron Washington said. “If you pitch a location and you’re throwing strikes, it’s never detrimental. He was missing his location. We didn’t make the plays behind them and that opened things up for them.”
Danks gave the White Sox their first lead of the series when he hit his first home run of the season, a two-run shot to right field in the third that scored Flowers.
Texas cut the deficit in their half of the inning on left fielder Shin-Shoo Choo’s sacrifice fly to center that scored second baseman Josh Wilson. The White Sox kept Texas from tying the game, though, when Flowers chased down a wild pitch and tossed to pitcher Erik Johnson in time to tag center fielder Leonys Martin at the plate.
The Rangers were able to tie the game at 2-2 the next inning on another Johnson wild pitch, which allowed shortstop Elvis Andrus to score.
