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 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.
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"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.
NOTES: Rangers 3B baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff entered the game having
hit safely in all 10 of his games in a Texas uniform. Kouzmanoff
took over at third base after Rangers starting third baseman Adrian
Beltre went on the 15-day disabled list with a strained quadriceps.
However, Kouzmanoff saw that hitting streak end as he went 0-for-3.
... White Sox starting pitchers Felipe Paulino and Jose Quintana
gave up a combined 15 runs in 8 2/3 innings in the first two games
of the series. Paulino gave up 10 in 3 2/3 innings in the series
opener on Friday. ... SS Alexei Ramirez's season-opening 17-game
hitting streak, the longest season-opening streak in White Sox
history, ended when Ramirez went 0-for-4 on Saturday. His total
streak was 21 games dating to last season.
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
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