Rays down White Sox with four home runs
CHICAGO -- Chris Archer allowed two runs over seven innings and the Rays hit a season-high four home runs en route to an 11-3 victory over the White Sox on Tuesday night at U.S. Cellular Field. Tampa Bay has won three consecutive games.
"Great win," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "We needed a win like that. After the last two that have been a little intense late in ballgames, it was nice to separate a ballgame."
Tampa Bay's biggest inning was a five-run sixth. Logan Forsythe, Mikie Mahtook, Asdrubal Cabrera and Richie Shaffer homered for the Rays. Shaffer became the eighth player in club history to homer for his first career hit.
Archer allowed six hits and walked one while striking out seven in his outing, giving up a run in the third and seventh innings. He outpitched Chicago ace Chris Sale, who allowed seven earned runs for the second straight start. Sale struck out nine batters in 5 1/3 innings, his most since he struck out 10 on July 11.
"Tonight wasn't his best night, but you know he's going to bounce back," White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. "You know that he's going to get there. Tonight wasn't it."
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Arch support: Archer entered Tuesday night's game having received just 2.45 runs of support per start. So the right-hander had to feel as though he had entered strange territory when the Rays' offense came through with 10 runs while he was on the mound. The run support, plus a quality start, earned Archer his first win since June 23. He had been 0-4 in his previous six starts. More >
Video: TB@CWS: Archer strikes out seven over seven frames
Saladino supplies support: Entering Tuesday's game 6-for-37 in his last nine games, rookie third baseman Tyler Saladino got the White Sox on the board in the third with a solo shot and finished 2-for-4. Called up on July 10, Saladino was one of the best hitters for Chicago in his first two weeks, but he had dropped off his pace at the end of July.
Video: TB@CWS: Saladino gets White Sox on the board in 3rd
Going deep: Forsythe got the Rays' home run derby started with a two-run homer off Sale in the first. Mahtook followed with a solo homer in the fifth, and Cabrera and Shaffer added solo home runs in the seventh. The Rays had not hit four home runs in a game since Sept. 7, 2014, against the Orioles at Tropicana Field.
Video: TB@CWS: Forsythe's two-run jack opens scoring in 1st
Flowers fumbles: A routine throw home allowed an extra run to score in the sixth inning. With the bases loaded, Sale allowed an RBI single to Kevin Kiermaier, which scored Forsythe. Center fielder Adam Eaton's throw home dribbled through the legs of catcher Tyler Flowers. Sale did not position himself behind home plate, allowing Cabrera to score, Shaffer to reach third and Kiermaier to advance to second.
"Obviously that ball has to be stopped by me," Flowers said. "As a team, we didn't execute that how you're supposed to. Ultimately there's a ball trickling in. I haven't looked at it to see how that possibly happens."
Video: TB@CWS: Kiermaier plates Forsythe with single in 6th
QUOTABLE
"It's bad. I really don't know what to say about it other than just I've been the weak link [the last] couple times out. I'm not leaving my team a chance to win; I'm not doing my job at all." -- Sale, after losing back-to-back games for the first time since 2013
"I like the approach. I think [hitting coach Derek Shelton] and [coach Jamie Nelson] did a nice job with the guys getting them to be aggressive. If you wait around on a guy like Chris Sale, he's probably going to get you more than you get him." -- Cash, on his team's hitting Tuesday night
STREAK SNAPPED
White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu had his 14-game hitting streak snapped on Tuesday, finishing with three strikeouts. It was Abreu's third streak of at least 13 games this season and sixth in his two-year career.
FIRST ONE DONE
Making his Major League debut in the seventh inning, White Sox outfielder Trayce Thompson struck out on four pitches in his only at-bat. Called up on Monday, Thompson came in to pinch-hit in the seventh and finished the game in center field.
"Probably a little overanxious," Thompson said. "I really didn't feel too nervous. Definitely good to get out there, get my feet wet, get the first one out of the way."
WHAT'S NEXT
Rays: Erasmo Ramirez (8-4, 3.61 ERA) makes his 17th start and 24th appearance of the season during Wednesday's series finale against the White Sox, which is scheduled for 2:10 p.m. ET. On Friday night at Boston he earned a no-decision in a 7-5 loss to open the road trip. Three of the runs on his line were unearned due to a pair of first-inning errors. He has allowed one earned run or fewer in seven of his last eight starts.
White Sox: Carlos Rodon (4-4, 4.84 ERA) aims to rebound when Chicago hosts the Rays at U.S. Cellular Field on Wednesday at 1:10 p.m. CT. Rodon allowed a career-high eight runs his last time out to the Yankees, and he surrendered 19 combined runs in the month of July.
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