Yermin Mercedes' 4-hit night lifts White Sox past Rangers

[April 24, 2021]  Rookie Yermin Mercedes went 4-for-4 with three RBIs, including a go-ahead double in the seventh inning, and Liam Hendriks recorded a five-out save to boost the host Chicago White Sox to a 9-7 victory against the Texas Rangers on Friday.

Chicago opened a nine-game homestand with its fourth win in five games, out-hitting Texas 16-10. Yoan Moncada smacked a solo home run in the eighth inning to cap a 3-for-4, three-RBI night, while Tim Anderson, Luis Robert, Andrew Vaughn and Nick Madrigal contributed two hits apiece.

Adolis Garcia homered twice for Texas, including a solo shot with two outs in the ninth that marked the lone blemish against Hendriks. The White Sox closer entered with two on and one out in the eighth but notched his fourth save by striking out five of the six batters he faced.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa paced the Rangers with three hits, and Brock Holt had two.

Mercedes, a reserve catcher who started at designated hitter Friday, delivered his sixth multi-hit game of the month to raise his average to .429.

In the first inning, Texas loaded the bases with one out against White Sox starter Dylan Cease but was unable to score.

Cease threw 33 pitches in the first, and although he harnessed his command for a brief stretch thereafter, he struggled with control overall. He exited in the fourth after surrendering a two-run home run to Nick Solak and a single to Holt.

Cease yielded two runs on three hits in 3 1/3 innings with three walks and five strikeouts. He has failed to work five innings in seven successive starts dating back to September.

Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson (7) throws to first to get the double play on Texas Rangers first baseman Nate Lowe (30) during the seventh inning at Guaranteed Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike Dinovo-USA TODAY Sports

After limiting opponents to one run and 11 hits in his first 17 innings this season, Rangers starter Dane Dunning yielded seven hits to his former teammates in a five-run White Sox third.

Adam Eaton opened the scoring with a two-run, ground-rule double before Moncada added an RBI single off the glove of first baseman Nate Lowe. Mercedes punctuated the rally with an opposite-field, two-run single to right field.

Texas used the long ball to recover from deficits of 5-0 and 6-2, getting a two-run home run from Solak in the fourth inning and a three-run shot from Garcia in the fifth.

Codi Heuer (2-1) notched the victory with 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief. Kyle Cody (0-2) took the loss after allowing three runs in three innings.

--Field Level Media