Gillaspie Homer Helps White Sox Beat Red Sox, 8-3
BOSTON (AP) — Conor Gillaspie hit a tie-breaking, two-run homer in the sixth inning for his third hit of the game and the Chicago White Sox beat the struggling Boston Red Sox, 8-3, on Tuesday night.
Boston did manage to snap Chicago pitchers' streak of 22 scoreless innings but lost for the seventh time in eight games as the defending World Series champions remained in last place in the AL East.
The White Sox are 5-1 in their last six games, allowing three runs or less in all six with a scoring margin of 25-9.
John Danks (8-6) started with four shutout innings on Tuesday night after Hector Noesi beat Seattle 1-0 on Sunday and Scott Carroll won 4-0 on Monday night when Boston had just two hits.
The White Sox squandered a 3-0 lead when the Red Sox tied it with three runs in the fifth. But Chicago went ahead to stay with two in the sixth and then added three runs in the ninth.
Jose Abreu led off the sixth with a single against Brandon Workman (1-3) and stayed at first when the next two batters were retired. Then Gillaspie hit a 3-and-2 pitch just inside the pole in right field for his second homer of the season. He had singled, doubled and scored a run earlier.
Abreu had three hits — two doubles and a single — and has hit safely in 21 of his last 22 games.
Chicago added three run-scoring extra-base hits in the ninth — a triple by Alejandro De Aza and doubles by Gordon Beckham and Paul Konerko.
The White Sox took a 2-0 lead with two unearned runs in the second. They loaded the bases with no outs on a walk to Adam Dunn and singles by Alexei Ramirez and Gillaspie. Dunn scored on an error by first baseman Mike Napoli and Ramirez came in when De Aza grounded into a double play.
Chicago made it 3-0 in the fourth when Gillaspie doubled and scored on a single by De Aza.
The Red Sox, the lowest-scoring team in the American League, failed to score after loading the bases in the first and fourth. They finally got to Danks, 5-1 in his last seven starts, in the fifth.
Brock Holt led off with a triple when center fielder De Aza let the ball get behind him after he raced in and dived for it. Dustin Pedroia and Napoli followed with run-scoring doubles and Xander Bogaerts tied it with an RBI single.
NOTES: Boston C David Ross threw out two runners trying to steal second — De Aza in the fourth and Adam Eaton in the fifth. ... Chicago's streak of six games allowing three runs or less is its longest since it had seven straight from May 2-9, 2011. ... John Isner, the top-seeded player at the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in Newport, Rhode Island, threw out a ceremonial first pitch. ... Chris Sale (8-1) pitches for Chicago on Wednesday in the third game of the four-game series. The Red Sox have not announced their starter.
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