Field Level Media
Aug 3, 2018
Yoan Moncada doubled home Adam Engel with two out in the top of the 10th inning to lift the Chicago White Sox to a 3-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday at Tropicana Field in the opener of the three-game series.
Nicky Delmonico doubled off Tampa Bay reliever Jose Alvarado with two out and none on in the 10th. Engel was sent in to pinch run for Delmonico and easily scored the winning run when Moncada, who is hitting under .230, doubled into the left-field corner.
Chicago's extra-inning heroics made a winner out of Tyler Danish (1-0), the fifth of six pitchers for the White Sox. Hector Santiago walked one but survived the bottom of the 10th to earn his first save of the year.
Alvarado (1-4) took the loss for Tampa Bay, which had a three-game win streak snapped.
The Rays trailed 2-0 heading into the eighth but scored twice.
The comeback ruined a sterling outing by Chicago starter Lucas Giolito, who went seven-plus innings, giving up a run on two hits while striking out six and walking three, and ended up with nothing to show for it. He started the game ranked last among major league pitchers (with a minimum of 20 starts) with a 6.26 ERA.
The White Sox got on the board in the sixth inning when Jose Abreu ripped a line-drive, two-run home run over the left field fence off Jaime Schultz, which pushed home Yolmer Sanchez in front of him and spotted Chicago a 2-0 lead.
Meanwhile, Giolito was in total control, allowing just a single to Kevin Kiermaier through the first seven innings until Daniel Robertson opened the eighth for the Rays with a double. Giolito was lifted for reliever Jace Fry, who promptly surrendered an RBI single to Joey Wendle to cut Chicago's lead to 2-1.
Wendle then stole second and was trying to steal third when Mallex Smith laid a bunt right in front of the plate that was thrown away by Chicago catcher Omar Narvaez, allowing Wendle to score the tying run.
Ryne Stanek started for the Rays, striking out all five batters he faced while going 1 2/3 innings and leaving in favor of Adam Kolarek. Kolarek gave up two hits and struck out two in two innings of work and left with two out in the fourth for Schultz.
Schultz surrendered just one hit -- Abreu's home run -- in 2 1/3 innings.
--Field Level Media