White Sox 5, Rangers 2
CHICAGO - They might be far out of the playoff picture in the American League, but the Chicago White Sox are playing like they're right in the thick of things.
They beat the Texas Rangers 5-2 on Sunday afternoon at U.S. Cellular Field and won two of the three games in the series while continuing a recent string of success against the AL West's leading team. Chicago has now won two straight series against the Rangers (75-55) and has prevailed in seven of the past eight games against each other.
John Danks threw a strong six innings and picked up the win for the Sox (54-75), who got solo homers from Josh Phegley and Jordan Danks, whose shot to right with one out in the fourth gave his brother a 3-2 lead. It was the first time since 1955 that one brother has supported another brother's start with a home run.
Gordon Beckham and Adam Dunn also drove in runs for the White Sox, with Gordon's giving Chicago a 2-0 lead in the second after Craig Gentry dropped his line drive to center field.
Former Chicago Cubs starter Matt Garza, who was dealt to Texas prior to the trade deadline, took the loss after allowing five runs (four earned) on seven hits in his seven innings of work. Garza struck out eight, but didn't get enough run support to get taken off the hook in the loss.
Texas tied the game at 2-2 on Jeff Baker's two-run homer off Danks in the fourth, but the Rangers failed to covert two prime scoring opportunities into runs in the fifth and seventh. Adrian Beltre ended each of those innings by hitting in double plays. He first lined a shot to Sox third baseman Jeff Keppinger, who doubled off Elvis Andrus for the first one. Beltre then grounded into a more conventional double play to end the Rangers' seventh - after they had loaded the bases for him with one out.
Addison Reed pitched the ninth and collected his 35th save in 40 tries, and his ninth save in his last nine chances.
It wasn't all good news for Chicago, though. Talented rookie Avisail Garcia left the game in the fourth after crashing hard into the wall in right field while chasing after Baker's home run. That's what led to Jordan Danks entering the game.
While Garcia went to get check in the clubhouse, the younger Danks -- who finished 2-for-3 -- wasted little time helping his brother out with a bat. He clubbed his home run in the sixth, which was his first time taking Garcia's spot in the batting order.
Chicago will now host the Houston Astros for a three-game series before heading out on a 10-game road trip at the end of the week. Texas heads to Seattle to the play the Mariners -- another also-ran team that's given the Rangers fits the past few years.
NOTES: White Sox bench coach Mark Parent was ejected before the game, during the lineup exchange, by crew chief Jerry Layne. ... Jerry Hairston, who played for the "Winnin' Ugly" Sox in 1983, threw out the ceremonial first pitch. ... Texas appears to have caught a break with CF Leonys Martin, who missed Sunday's game with a sprained ankle. The X-rays taken after he twisted the ankle Saturday night came back negative for fractures, and Martin hopes to return to the lineup soon. ... Yu Darvish had leg cramps and nothing worse as he left his start in the seventh inning on Saturday.
