Rookie Colson Montgomery hit a three-run homer and a go-ahead, two-run double, helping the Chicago White Sox rally for an 11-9 win against the host Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday.
Reliever Jordan Leasure (3-5) tossed a scoreless seventh for the White Sox, who took two of three in the series and have won five of six.
Tampa Bay fell for the third time in four games.
Trailing 7-5 in the eighth, Chicago rallied for six runs against reliever Kevin Kelly (0-2).
Kyle Teel’s RBI single made it 7-6, and a bases-loaded double from Montgomery drove in two more to put the White Sox in front 8-7.
A throwing error by second baseman Jose Caballero allowed Luis Robert Jr. to cross the plate before Mike Tauchman singled home Montgomery. After Ian Seymour took over on the mound, Chase Meidroth connected for an RBI single to make it 11-7.
The Rays narrowed the deficit in the bottom of the eighth. Reliever Tyler Gilbert issued a bases-loaded walk to Jonathan Aranda before Junior Caminero’s RBI groundout cut the margin to 11-9.
White Sox starting pitcher Jonathan Cannon settled down after giving up four runs in the first. However, he got into trouble again in the fifth, and Tampa Bay took advantage.
With two on and one out, Cannon plunked Caminero in the back with a pitch to load the bases, ending his outing. Josh Lowe greeted reliever Brandon Eisert with an RBI single to put the Rays ahead 5-4, and Tampa Bay added another run when White Sox left fielder Brooks Baldwin failed to catch Jake Mangum’s fly ball.
Caminero appeared to add another when he was ruled safe as the ball got away on a strikeout. However, the White Sox challenged and the call was overturned to an out at the plate.
Teel’s first major league home run in the top of the sixth narrowed the gap to 6-5, but Caballero singled to drive in Taylor Walls in the bottom of the inning, making it 7-5.
The Rays opened the scoring in the first with a pair of two-run homers. Yandy Diaz put a sinker over the right field wall, and Caminero sent one to right-center for a 4-0 lead.
Chicago responded in the second. Miguel Vargas scored on Robert’s single, and Montgomery’s three-run shot tied it 4-4.
Cannon allowed six runs (five earned) on seven hits and a walk while logging a career-high nine strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings.
Rays starter Taj Bradley was tagged for four runs on four hits and three walks in 1 2/3 innings. He didn’t strike out a batter.
–Field Level Media
