The White Sox couldn't go a game in Texas without making a mess of things, but they escaped with a win from the Metroplex just the same.
This time, the Sox had more than enough offense to cover up for the burps on the run-prevention side of things. Avisail Garcia brought the lefty-mashing element the lineup had been missing, going 4-for-5 with three extra-base hits and three runs scored from the No. 2 spot.
Garcia was in the middle of a couple crooked numbers, both of which answered Rangers attacks. After Reynaldo Lopez's only rough inning -- including a bases-loaded, two-out walk -- allowed the Rangers to tie the game at 2, the Sox wore out Nick Capra during a five-run fifth.
It couldn't have started more innocuously, as Adam Engel reached on a dropped third strike that should've been the second out. Tim Anderson doubled home Engel, then took third on the throw. Garcia drove home Anderson with a single. Abreu singled Garcia to second, as Elvis Andrus could only knock the ball down. Matt Davidson then hammered a double to left, with Abreu scoring all the way from first on a good slide under the tag.
After Cole Hamels struck out Leury Garcia to get within an out of escaping the inning, Kevan Smith jammed home one more run with an opposite-field single, as Isaiah Kiner-Falefa couldn't handle the short hop on the throw from right.
Likewise, after Jace Fry, Xavier Cedeno and the White Sox outfield turned an 8-2 game into a save situation, the Sox once again restored breathing room. Avisail Garcia smoked a line drive too low for the cycle-sealing homer, settling for a double. After an intentional walk to Abreu, Davidson muscled a single to center that both scored Garcia and allowed Abreu to take third (Abreu appeared to slow up to take the throw to third off his body). Charlie Tilson then executed a squeeze bunt to put the Sox in double digits.
Joakim Soria, who had to retire the final two batters of the eighth after Fry and Cedeno issued three walks between them earlier in the inning, stranded two runners in the ninth for the five-out save.
Lopez picked up the win with a sturdy effort in the Texas heat. The fourth was the only rough frame. He gave up three straight hits with one out, then issued an intentional walk to Joey Gallo (and one the Sox didn't request). Lopez rebounded by striking out Kiner-Falefa on a 3-2 slider, but then he let up by walking Deshields on four straight pitches to bring home the tying run.
Otherwise, Lopez threw 6⅓ innings, allowing just those two runs on seven hits and three walks (one intentional), striking out six. He's now 4-5 on the season after lowering his ERA to 3.68.
The Sox' right-handed hitters came to play. Between Engel at the ninth spot and Anderson, Avi Garcia, Abreu and Davidson at the top of the order, that part of the lineup went 13-for-22 with the lone walk. The other four spots only had one hit between them, although Smith made it a productive one.
Bullet points:
*Engel turned a couple of singles into triples in the Sox' ugly innings, although only one of them was scored as such. He pulled up short on Jurickson Profar's sinking liner, but let it skip past him for two extra bases. In the eighth, he turned a Joey Gallo single into a "triple" when he let it get past him and to the wall. Then again, Avisail Garcia screened him, so I'll give them both a misplay for the lack of communication.
*Sanchez also allowed an infield single when he tried to go the long way to first when the short out was available at second.
*Leury Garcia left the game after jamming a finger, apparently on a foul ball.
*The Rangers stole two bases on Smith, but Smith had a good day behind the plate, as the Rangers had far more gripes about the strike zone.
Record: 29-54 | Box score
