Davidson slams Orioles to back Holland

CHICAGO -- Matt Davidson's first career grand slam and Derek Holland's quality start were more than enough for the White Sox to roll to a 6-1 win Tuesday and extend the Orioles' road losing streak to 11 games and overall skid to six straight losses.
It knocked the Orioles (31-32) below .500 for the first time all season.
Holland navigated through traffic on the basepaths to put together a solid outing at Guaranteed Rate Field after allowing 14 runs over his two previous outings. He scattered eight hits to allow an earned run over six innings, marking the first quality start for Chicago in 13 games. According to STATS, that was the longest drought between quality starts in franchise history.
"We've been working on this, obviously a little bit of a struggle," Holland said. "But the main thing is to bounce back."

Orioles right-hander Alec Asher got off to a strong start until the fourth, when he allowed his first hit of the game to Melky Cabrera. José Abreu followed Cabrera's hit with another single, and each would score on Avisaíl García's two-run double. Asher's troubles arose again in the sixth, loading the bases on a single, hit batter and a walk before allowing Davidson's grand slam.
Grand slams mean 40% off pizza
Orioles manager Buck Showalter said the decision to let Asher go out in the sixth was in part due to a taxed bullpen. Showalter had seen his starters go fewer than three innings in three consecutive games, and Tuesday marked just the second time in a week an Orioles starter had pitched into the sixth.
"We're just a little short down there, always having to have a long piece down there for the next day," Showalter said. "A lot of short starts, and that's a byproduct of it. [Asher] pitched well here and there. He wasn't the issue. The issue was one run."
It was the first grand slam for the White Sox this season, traveling a Statcast-projected 435 feet with an exit velocity of 112.2 mph -- the hardest-hit ball Davidson has had in the Statcast™ era.

"That one felt pretty good," said Davidson, who joked that he did an involuntary hop after connecting. "I knew it when I hit it. You don't really feel anything when you hit balls like that."
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MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Melk is the Man: Cabrera's defense was significant in what was a close game early on, as his throw was good enough to nail Manny Machado trying to stretch an RBI single into a double in the first inning and earn his third outfield assist of the season. His most important play came in the sixth, as he robbed Orioles designated hitter Welington Castillo of a potential extra-base hit that would have scored Trey Mancini from second and tied the game at two apiece.

He's new at this: The Orioles threatened Chicago's slim 2-1 lead in the fifth, as Joey Rickard led off with a single, advanced to second on a Willy García error and moved to third on an Adam Jones single. After Machado popped out, White Sox second baseman Alen Hanson -- making his first start since being claimed off waivers June 9 -- got Holland out of the inning by taking a grounder to second base himself and nailing Mark Trumbo for an inning-ending double play to keep the White Sox ahead.
"You've got to make the situations as small as possible and make the pitches when you need to," Holland said. "My defense was what makes the bigger picture of that. Made a key pitch to Machado and kind of continue to go from there."
"It was just one of those times we weren't able to produce," Machado said. "I got mad because I missed a pitch. I was sitting on it, and then I missed it so I got frustrated. But every run counts. He got out of two innings that we should have had a couple runs. That's just how things are going for us right now."

QUOTABLE
"This is part of the game. We know there's ups and downs, and we've got to stay positive. We're going to snap out of this, and when we do, you better hold onto your seats because we're coming." -- Machado
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
Tuesday marked the 12th time in franchise history the White Sox struck out no more than once, and the first time since May 9, 2015, that the team didn't strike out after its second batter of the game. The franchise has won all but one of those 12 games.

DELAYED MILESTONE
The White Sox celebrated with Rick Renteria following Tuesday's victory, which marked the 101st of his managerial career. Renteria picked up 73 wins in 2014 during his one season with the Cubs and earned his 100th victory on Monday night.
WHAT'S NEXT
Orioles:Dylan Bundy (6-5, 3.05 ERA) heads to the mound Wednesday night (8:10 ET) in the third game of a four-game set. Bundy has gone at least six innings in all but one of his starts this season, including Friday, when he allowed three runs in six frames in an eventual loss to the Yankees.
White Sox:Miguel González (4-7, 4.89) will look to regain his command after a four-walk outing in a loss to the Indians in his last start. He has lost seven of his last eight decisions and has an 8.44 June ERA. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. CT.
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