Field Level Media
Aug 24, 2019
Willie Calhoun and Danny Santana smacked two-run home runs to back 6 1/3 shutout innings from Kolby Allard and boost the visiting Texas Rangers to a 4-0 victory against the Chicago White Sox on Saturday night.
The Rangers snapped Chicago's three-game winning streak and will try to salvage a split of the four-game series on Sunday afternoon.
Calhoun, who drilled a three-run home run Friday, opened the scoring with a two-run shot against Chicago right-hander Ivan Nova with one out in the sixth.
Bidding to climb above the .500 mark for the first time this season, Nova fell to 9-10 after scattering two runs (one earned) and six hits in 5 2/3 innings. He struck out six against zero walks while losing for the first time since July 17, a span of seven starts.
Allard, meanwhile, was in control for much of his outing. Making his fourth start for the Rangers since joining the team in a July 30 trade with the Atlanta Braves, Allard improved to 2-0 with 6 1/3 shutout innings, scattering six hits and eight strikeouts.
Texas extended its lead to four runs when Santana connected for a two-run shot with two outs in the seventh, depositing reliever Jimmy Cordero's first pitch into the right-center field stands following a Shin-Soo Choo single.
Chicago stranded nine men and went 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position. The White Sox had baserunners in every inning but the fourth, sixth and eighth.
A golden scoring opportunity went by the wayside in the seventh. The first two White Sox reached, but the team couldn't score, as Allard fanned Adam Engel before reliever Rafael Montero retired Yolmer Sanchez on a flyout and struck out Leury Garcia to end the threat. Ryan Goins hit a pinch-hit, two-out double in the ninth but was left stranded.
Calhoun and Nick Solak had two hits apiece for the Rangers while Jose Abreu had two hits, including the 1,000th of his career, for the White Sox. Chicago's Tim Anderson extended his hitting streak to 11 games.
The White Sox committed three errors compared to two for the Rangers.
--Field Level Media