Luis Robert Jr. homers, but White Sox lose to Rangers again
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Adolis García snapped out of a long slump with three hits while accounting for the tying and go-ahead runs, Nathan Eovaldi struck out 10 without any walks in seven innings and the Texas Rangers beat the Chicago White Sox 10-2 on Wednesday night for their fourth win in a row.
Corey Seager had a solo homer among his four hits for the reigning World Series champion Rangers (50-52), who have won 11 of 15 to move within three games of AL West-leading Houston. Robbie Grossman and Nathaniel Lowe also went deep, while Josh Smith added an RBI single and sacrifice fly.
The White Sox (27-77) lost their 10th game in a row to fall 50 games under .500 for the first time since finishing 56-106 in 1970. They are the first team since the expansion Mets in 1962 to lose 77 of their first 104 games — and New York that year went on to lose 120 games, the most in the modern era.
Seager led off the fifth with a double, and scored to tie the game at 2-2 when García had a hustling two-out double to chase White Sox starter Chris Flexen (2-10). Lowe followed with an RBI single.
García was 2 for 26 in his previous seven games, and hitting .133 (8 for 60) in July. He added a second RBI when he beat out a fielder's choice grounder in a six-run eighth inning that Lowe capped with a three-run homer.
Luis Robert Jr. put Chicago up 2-1 with his 12th homer, a liner with a 113-mph exit velocity that just cleared the wall down the left-field line with one out in the third.
Eovaldi (7-5) retired 14 of the last 15 batters he faced after that in his first 10-strikeout game this season. It was his fifth consecutive start without a walk — now 141 consecutive batters faced since June 26 without giving up a free pass.
Seager's 19th homer put Texas up 1-0 in the first. It was his first at-bat since the end of his 22-game on-base streak after striking out as a pinch-hitter Tuesday night.
Flexen is 0-7 over his last 14 starts, all White Sox losses. The right-hander struck out three, walked two and allowed seven hits over 4 2/3 innings.
TRAINER'S ROOM
White Sox: Manager Pedro Grifol said 3B Yoán Moncada (thigh), who is at the team's complex in Arizona after being recalled from his rehab assignment, feels better than he did a couple of days ago when he didn't feel right running hard. Moncada played only 11 games before getting hurt April 9.
Rangers: 3B Josh Jung (right wrist fracture) took live BP, ran bases and is set to start another rehab assignment Friday with Double-A Frisco. He broke his wrist when hit by a pitch April 1 in the fourth game of the season. He experienced inflammation in his wrist after four rehab games in June.
UP NEXT
The four-game series finale is Thursday when three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (1-3, 3.99 ERA) has a chance to move into MLB's top 10 for career strikeouts. The right-hander's 3,391 have him two shy of matching Justin Verlander for 10th. RHP Jonathan Cannon (1-4, 4.58) starts for the White Sox.
