|
 Right fielder Avisail Garcia also hit two homers, and the White
Sox collected six homers in a game for the first time since 2009.
Two White Sox players hit two homers in the same game for the first
time since 2004.
Also going deep for the Chicago were catcher Tyler Flowers and
shortstop Alexei Ramirez.
Abreu's three-run homer in the seventh culminated a 12-pitch at-bat
that began with him in an 0-2 hole against Colorado reliever Chad
Bettis, who was brought in to face him with one out and runners on
first and second.
Abreu fouled off six consecutive 2-2 pitches before lofting a home
run into the tunnel down the left field line. The blast gave the
White Sox breathing room with a 7-2 lead.
"That at-bat was very, very important to me," Abreu said through
translator Lino Diaz. "I feel like I fought for that, and it gave me
a lot of confidence to do that. Definitely an at-bat that obviously
changed the result of the game. But it kind of gets you in the right
set of mind, the right momentum."
Abreu, a Cuban defector, signed a six-year, $68 million contract
with the White Sox in October. He knocked in five runs Tuesday,
hitting a two-run homer in the eighth when the White Sox erupted for
eight hits and six runs against beleaguered Colorado right-hander
Wilton Lopez.
Abreu hit three home runs in 56 spring training at-bats, and he went
29 at-bats without a homer in the regular season before breaking the
drought in the seventh.
"We should never press for things," Abreu said. "I always give
myself a little bit of time. I don't like to feel pressed. I feel
like we always have time to do things. But it was a good day today,
and I have my mother in my thoughts right now."
Abreu said his mother, Daisy Correa Diaz, called him Tuesday morning
and told him, "'Hey, take it easy. One day at a time.' That gave me
a lot of strength and confidence to go throughout the day."
Garcia and Flowers homered off left-hander Franklin Morales (0-1) in
a three-run second. The home runs came with two outs, both on
breaking pitches, Garcia's with the count 0-2.
"I missed a couple of pitches and they got me," said Morales, who
gave up six runs and eight hits in 6 1/3 innings. "Sometimes, you
try to be perfect and you miss the location. That's what happens
when somebody hits you."
[to top of second column] |
Garcia and Ramirez hit back-to-back homers in the eighth, and later
in the inning, Abreu added a two-run shot that cleared the fence in
right-center.
"The pitch took me that way," Abreu said. "But that is something I'm
going to have to do to face all the pitching. They're going to pitch
me in different places, so I have to be able to hit the ball to all
parts of the field."
The power surge came in support of Jose Quintana (1-0). The
left-hander held the Rockies to five hits and two runs in seven
innings and got 14 outs on ground balls.
"Q pitched great," White Sox manager Robin Ventura said, "especially
in this ballpark to be able to do that."
NOTES: Colorado's previous six-homer game was June 24, 2009, against
the Los Angeles Dodgers. ... The last time two White Sox players
each hit two homers in the same game was June 8, 2004, when Paul
Konerko and Juan Uribe accomplished the feat against the
Philadelphia Phillies. ... Rockies RHP Tyler Chatwood (left
hamstring strain) allowed five hits and one run in 6 1/3 innings in
a rehab start for Triple-A Colorado at Round Rock. He had no walks
and eight strikeouts while throwing 53 of 81 pitches for strikes and
allowing five hits. Chatwood is eligible to be activated Sunday at
San Francisco. ... Rockies LF Carlos Gonzalez did not play. With 40
games in 42 days to start the season and LHP Jose Quintana starting
for the White Sox, manager Walt Weiss thought it would be a good day
to rest Gonzalez for the first time this season. ... Cuddyer
extended his hitting streak to nine games, his longest to start a
season. ... Ventura said he probably would have started Paul Konerko
at DH against Rockies LHP Franklin Morales if it were an American
League game. Without the DH, Ventura opted not to rest 1B Jose
Abreu.
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reserved.]
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