Andrew Benintendi homered and doubled, and the Chicago White Sox hit four home runs en route to a 6-3 victory over the Los Angeles Angels in the opener of a three-game series on Friday night in Anaheim, Calif.
Lenyn Sosa went 2-for-3 with a home run, a walk and two RBIs and Colson Montgomery and Josh Rojas also homered for Chicago, which won its second straight game while improving to 9-4 since the All-Star break. Miguel Vargas added two hits and scored a run.
Jordan Leasure (4-6), who struck out four of the five batters he faced in relief of starter Shane Smith, picked up the win with 1 2/3 hitless innings of relief. Steven Wilson struck out the side in the ninth and tossed two hitless innings to pick up his second save.
Gustavo Campero hit a two-run homer and Nolan Schanuel had two hits for Los Angeles. Tyler Anderson (2-7) suffered the loss, allowing four runs on five hits over six innings. It was his team-record 18th consecutive start without a win, a drought which dates back to April 18.
Los Angeles loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the first but failed to score against Smith, who was activated from the injury list before the game after missing two weeks with a left ankle sprain. Catcher Edgar Quero picked Zach Neto off third for the first out, Jo Adell struck out and Logan O’Hoppe grounded out to end the threat.
Chicago took a 2-0 lead in the second on a pair of solo home runs. Benintendi led off the inning with his 14th home run down the right field line, and one out later, Sosa hit his 11th homer, a 413-foot drive over the bullpens in left.
The White Sox extended the lead to 3-0 in the fourth when Miguel Vargas led off with a single, advanced to third on double by Benintendi and scored on a sacrifice fly by Luis Robert Jr.
Los Angeles cut the lead to 3-2 in the fifth on Campero’s second home run of the season, a 438-foot drive to center that plated Luis Rengifo, who had walked.
Chicago extended the lead to 4-2 in the sixth on Montgomery’s sixth home run in the last nine games, a 433-foot drive to center.
The Angels cut the lead to 4-3 in the seventh on a sacrifice fly by Neto, driving in O’Hoppe, who had singled, and they had a chance to tie it when Schanuel lined a single to right. But Campero was thrown out by Mike Tauchman trying to go to third from first, with the out being recorded just before Travis d’Arnaud, who started the play at second base, crossed the plate.
The White Sox made it 5-3 in the eighth when Robert led off with a single, stole second and scored on a single by Sosa. Rojas added another insurance run when he led off the ninth with a 399-foot homer to right-center, his second of the season.
–Field Level Media
