Devers Leads Red Sox Past White Sox, 9-5
BOSTON (AP) — Rafael Devers hit a three-run homer and Rick Porcello ended a four-game losing streak with his first win since June as the Boston Red Sox beat the Chicago White Sox, 9-5, on Thursday night.
Mookie Betts hit a two-run homer and Andrew Benintendi went 3-for-3, scoring twice and driving in a run as the Red Sox won their third straight. Benintendi reached base all five times he batted, getting hit by a pitch and walking once to go along with two doubles and a single.
Hanley Ramirez drove in two runs for Boston.
Nicky Delmonico hit his first career homer, a three-run shot in the third, for the White Sox. Chicago lost its third straight and fell to 3-15 since the All-Star break.
The Red Sox, who finished with 15 hits, led 4-0 before Porcello even threw a pitch. The fast start was enough to help Porcello end a skid of going winless in his last six starts as the reigning AL Cy Young winner won for the first time since the Red Sox beat the Angels on June 23.
Benintendi, who sat out the last two games, surged out of an 8-for-54 slump with a ground-rule double to the triangle in center field in the first. Miguel Gonzalez (5-10) hit him with a pitch in the second, followed by a leadoff double in the fourth and an RBI single in the fifth.
Benintendi's single to right in the fifth drove in Mitch Moreland, who doubled to lead off the inning and added an RBI double in the sixth to put Boston up 9-5.
Boston got to Gonzalez right away with four runs and four hits, including Devers' three-run homer to center. After Chicago got two runs back in the second to cut the lead in half, the Red Sox struck again for three in the third. Betts hit a two-run homer and Ramirez beat out an infield single, allowing Benintendi to score by sliding around Omar Narvaez's tag at the plate.
Delmonico, who singled and scored in the first, belted a shot out to right with two on in the third for his first career homer. Delmonico made his big-league debut Tuesday and was playing in just his third game.
Gonzalez threw 53 pitches without making it out of the second inning. He allowed seven runs, seven hits and hit a batter, before he was replaced by Gregory Infante with two outs in the second.
Porcello lasted until the fifth, when he was pulled following a one-out double by Tim Anderson. It was the seventh hit allowed by Porcello, who settled in after the third and finished with six strikeouts.
TRAINER'S ROOM
White Sox: 2B Yoan Moncada returned to the lineup after missing two games with a bruised knee. Moncada hurt the knee Monday in a collision with OF Willy Garcia, who has a broken jaw and could miss 4-to-6 weeks after surgery.
Red Sox: RHP Joe Kelly (strained left hamstring), on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Pawtucket, could be activated on Saturday, manager John Farrell said.
UP NEXT
White Sox: LHP Carlos Rodon (1-4, 5.23 ERA) makes just his seventh start of the season, which he began on the DL with left biceps bursitis.
Red Sox: LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (4-3, 4.16) is 1-0 at home this season and the Red Sox are 4-1 in his five starts.
Copyright 2017 The Associated Press.
