CHICAGO -- By trading away J.A. Happ, the Blue Jays needed to put together a bullpen day Saturday to get through nine innings. And though the affair started off well, the White Sox took advantage late at Guaranteed Rate Field.
After being held to one run in the first six innings, the White Sox came alive for eight runs in the last two frames, taking down the Blue Jays, 9-5. Daniel Palka provided the key hit with a pinch-hit two-run single and Leury Garcia followed up with a three-run triple in the pivotal eighth inning.

"We played as a team," Garcia said through team interpreter Billy Russo. "We were trying just to handle things that we can handle, each one of us. It was like a reaction. Each one of us tried to do our job and we didn't try to do too much and that was the key."
Chicago's six runs in the eighth marked its highest total in a single inning all season. Garcia's four RBIs on Saturday were a career high.
Trailing by two, the White Sox got the eighth going the way most big innings start -- with a leadoff walk, as Yoan Moncada drew the full-count free pass. The Blue Jays nearly erased the runner when Yolmer Sanchez grounded a ball back to reliever Jaime Garcia for a potential double play, but Garcia threw a bit high to second base and Toronto managed just one out.
Jose Abreu then doubled to put the tying run on second base for Avisail Garcia, who drove in a run with an RBI single. Then Palka came up, pinch-hitting for Matt Davidson against right-hander Dennis Tepera. He smoked a 101.8-mph single, per Statcast™, through the left side of the infield, putting the White Sox in front for good.

"Once I was ahead in the count, I got a little more aggressive, and [Tepera] gave me pretty much the exact same pitch he threw 3-0," Palka said. "I was in a good count to hit and he gave me what I wanted."
"When [Palka] barrels it, the ball comes off of his bat pretty hot," manager Rick Renteria said. "I know somebody flashed something about the velocity of his balls for homers and stuff -- it's a pretty high velocity. He doesn't get cheated, and even that ground ball that hit through the infield was well-struck."

By that point, Garcia's three-run triple was merely insurance, but brought the announced crowd of 29,442 to its feet. Saturday's crowd marked Chicago's second-highest attendance of the season, trailing only the April 5 home opener against the Tigers.
"It was good to hear them get excited about something," Renteria said. "They are going through the season with us. They are battling with us, they are going through the emotions, the ups and downs, and rightfully so, they are our fans."
White Sox starter Lucas Giolito snapped his three-game quality start streak, which had been his longest of the season, grinding through 4 1/3 innings on 94 pitches. Giolito allowed five earned runs, working through jams in the first, second and fifth innings.

Giolito acknowledged that he needed to "pitch smarter," but still came away satisfied that he could put his performance behind him.
"It's no longer an issue of, 'Am I going to feel right?' or, 'Am I going to throw strikes?'" Giolito said. "I have confidence in all my pitches and throwing the ball over the plate, it's just a few things here and there I need to clean up."
MOMENT THAT MATTERED
Unloading the bases: The Blue Jays continued to threaten to score more runs after Renteria removed Giolito in the fifth. Reliever Tyler Danish entered with a man on and allowed two more to reach, loading the bases for Brandon Drury. But Russell Martin strayed too far off second base and Danish threw over, ultimately forcing the runner on third, Yangervis Solarte, into a rundown as he broke for the plate. Solarte was tagged out by Danish near third to end the threat and keep the Blue Jays' lead at 5-1.

SOUND SMART
Palka's two-run single was just his second pinch-hit of the season in 13 tries. But when he records a pinch-hit, he makes it count. His other pinch-hit came in the form of a two-run homer June 3 vs. the Brewers. Though he is 2-for-13 as a sub, he has five RBIs.

HE SAID IT
"It makes me look to the future when we have a lot more games like this. When we're winning and playing well, it's going to be a really good time. The crowd is behind us and the atmosphere here is awesome when we're playing well or making a comeback like we did tonight." -- Giolito, on the crowd's energy
UP NEXT
The White Sox conclude their weekend series with the Blue Jays on Sunday at 1:10 p.m. CT and will send Carlos Rodon (3-3, 3.38 ERA) to the mound for the rubber game. Rodon has been stellar in his last two outings, pitching into the eighth inning in each and giving up just two runs and five hits over 15 frames combined. Ryan Borucki (0-2, 2.79) gets the nod for Toronto.