Josh Smith homered and scored all three runs for Texas as the surging Rangers defeated the Chicago White Sox 3-1 on Friday in the opener of a three-game series in Arlington, Texas.

The Rangers won for the fifth time in their past six games while Chicago dropped its third straight.

Texas got on the board in the first inning as Smith led off with a single, advanced to third on a hit by Wyatt Langford and scored on a sacrifice fly to left field by Corey Seager.

Smith added to the lead in the third with a leadoff home run into the Rangers’ bullpen in right-center field. Texas pushed the margin to 3-0 in the fifth as Marcus Semien doubled home Smith, who had walked to start the inning.

The White Sox pulled to within 3-1 in the seventh as a double by Luis Robert Jr. off reliever Hoby Milner plated Miguel Vargas, who had singled.

Texas, down a starter with Nathan Eovaldi on the shelf with a sore right triceps, employed a bullpen game. Shawn Armstrong started and went three perfect innings, striking out five of the nine batters he faced. Jacob Webb (4-3) was second to the mound, allowing one hit while striking out one in two shutout innings.

Webb was followed by Luke Jackson (one hit and a strikeout in one scoreless inning) and Milner, who allowed one run on three hits in one-third of an inning and left with runners on second and third. Chris Martin took over and struck out Brooks Baldwin and coaxed Michael A. Taylor into a flyout to end the White Sox’s threat.

Cole Winn pitched a perfect eighth and Robert Garcia worked around a leadoff double by Andrew Benintendi and two walks in the ninth to earn his fifth save.

The White Sox managed just six hits — two by Robert. Former Texas farmhand Adrian Houser (2-2) started for Chicago and went five innings, allowing three runs on six hits and four walks with two strikeouts.

–Field Level Media