The Sports Xchange
May 21, 2017
SEATTLE -- The Chicago White Sox scored five first-inning runs Sunday afternoon and went on to defeat the Seattle Mariners 8-1 at Safeco Field.
Left-hander Derek Holland pitched eight strong innings and Tim Anderson homered for Chicago, which won the final three games of the four-game series after snapping a seven-game road losing streak.
The White Sox picked up right where they left off after routing the Mariners 16-1 Saturday night.
Holland (4-3) allowed one run on six hits and two walks. He struck out six, including the side in his eighth and final inning. He threw 105 pitches, 70 of which were strikes.
Holland's shutout bid ended when Nelson Cruz hit a solo home run to left field leading off the bottom of the seventh inning. It was Cruz's team-leading 11th homer of the season.
Gregory Infante pitched a scoreless ninth for the White Sox.
Seattle right-hander Chris Heston, who was recalled from Triple-A Tacoma to make the start, fared no better than he did in his previous outing this season.
Heston (0-1) allowed seven runs on seven hits in three-plus innings against the White Sox, walking four and striking out two. In his only other major league appearance this year, April 25 in Detroit, Heston gave up five runs on seven hits in two innings of relief.
Heston struggled from the start, walking the bases loaded in the first inning.
All three of those runners ended up scoring, all with two outs. Yolmer Sanchez lined a two-run single into right field, then Anderson reached on a run-scoring infield single. Matt Davidson singled to right to make it 4-0, and the final run of the inning came home on catcher Kevan Smith's infield single.
Anderson made it 6-0 in the third inning with a solo homer off Heston. It was Anderson's fifth home run of the season.
Heston was pulled with the bases loaded and no outs in the fourth. Reliever Dan Altavilla got Jose Abreu to ground into a double play to limit the damage in the inning to one run.
The White Sox scored again in the fifth to make it 8-0 as Todd Frazier led off with a walk, moved to second on a wild pitch and, two outs later, scored on Davidson's single.
In addition to their offensive production, the White Sox turned four double plays for the second consecutive game.
NOTES: White Sox 2B Yolmer Sanchez hit a two-run single in the first inning to extend his hitting streak to 12 games, matching his career high. ... The Mariners made some roster moves before the game, calling up RHP Chris Heston and 1B Dan Vogelbach from Triple-A Tacoma and sending LHP Dillon Overton and INF Mike Freeman to the same affiliate. ... Mariners 1B Danny Valencia didn't play for the second straight day because of an ailing right wrist. Manager Scott Servais said Valencia underwent an MRI exam on Sunday after sustaining the injury Friday night while sliding into a base. ... The White Sox continue their 10-game trip Monday in Arizona. RHP Miguel Gonzalez (3-4, 4.29 ERA) is scheduled to face Diamondbacks RHP Zack Greinke (5-2, 3.09). ... The Mariners have Monday off before starting a three-game series at Washington.