White Sox sluggers Vaughn, Moncada rough up Tigers early and often in 12-3 rout
Andrew Vaughn hit a two-run homer and drove in three runs, Yoan Moncada also had three RBIs and the Chicago White Sox routed the Detroit Tigers 12-3 on Friday night.
"We put great at-bats together one through nine," Vaughn said.
Lance Lynn (4-5) allowed three runs — one earned — on three hits and five walks while striking out five in six innings.
The White Sox started strong with Vaughn's RBI double and Yasmani Grandal's two-run single in the inning.
Lynn walked the leadoff batter, then gave up a double and allowed Akil Baddoo to hit an RBI single to load the bases before getting out the jam by striking out Miguel Cabrera.
"It was a frustrating evening when you get three runs in the first and you load up the bases," Lynn said. "The offense scored a bunch of runs for me and played good defense. I've got to be a little bit more efficient and not walk so many people, but they bailed me out with so I was able to get through six."
Joey Wentz (1-5) gave up five runs on six hits and two walks over four innings.
"Joey didn't find his groove," Tigers bench coach George Lombard said.
That has been happening a lot lately. The left-hander gave up 16 earned runs in his previous four starts.
The White Sox roughed up Wentz's replacement, too.
Mason Englert gave up three runs on his first 10 pitches, allowing a walk, Moncada's triple and Vaughn's homer that gave Chicago an 8-1 lead in the fifth.
Chicago scored three runs in the fifth, when Vaugh hit a two-run homer, and three more runs in the eighth with Moncada driving in a third run of the game on a single to make it 11-3.
The Tigers also had chances to score a lot of run, but squandered many of the opportunities and finished 1 of 9 with runners in scoring position with eight left on base.
To save the bullpen, Detroit put shortstop Zach Short on the mound and he threw pitches in the mid-40s and Chicago hit three singles off him — giving it 17 hits — to go ahead by nine runs.
"Shorty told me that was his first time," Lombard said. "I said, `Hey, just lob it in there and he lobbed it in there.' That might have been the slowest velo I've ever seen from a pitcher."
TRIPLE THREAT
Chicago hit three triples in a game for the first time since Sept. 9, 2017, against San Francisco.
TRAINER'S ROOM
White Sox: RHP Liam Hendriks threw at batting practice, moving closer to making a comeback from cancer.
"It's a really good step in the right direction," manager Pedro Grifol said.
The 34-year-old three-time All-Star closer was diagnosed with stage 4 non-Hodgkin lymphoma and is in remission after having immunotherapy and chemotherapy.
OF Eloy Jimenez (appendectomy) has not hit well on his rehab assignment at Triple-A Birmingham, but Grifol insisted he's not concerned.
"He felt great and that's all that matters," Grifol said.
Tigers: OF Kerry Carpenter (shoulder sprain) began a rehab assignment Friday night at Triple-A Toledo.
EXCUSED ABSENCE
Tigers manager A.J. Hinch missed the game to travel to Houston for his daughter's high school graduation and Lombard filled in for him in the Detroit dugout.
"Not quite how we drew it up," Lombard said after the lopsided loss.
ON THE MOVE
White Sox OF Jake Marisnick accepted his assignment and was outrighted to Triple-A Charlotte.
UP NEXT
Detroit hosts Chicago in the third of a four-game series Saturday with Tigers RHP Michael Lorenzen (2-2, 4.08) and White Sox RHP Jesse Scholtens (0-2, 2.25) expected to start.
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