Chi. White Sox 5, Atlanta 4
When: 2:10 PM ET, Saturday, July 9, 2016
Where: Guaranteed Rate Field, Chicago, Illinois
Temperature:
77°
Umpires:
Home -
Bob Davidson, 1B -
Lance Barrett, 2B -
Dan Iassogna, 3B -
Dale Scott
Attendance:
23888
By The Sports Xchange
CHICAGO -- Third baseman Todd Frazier of the Chicago White Sox is swinging a hot bat, but that will not necessarily translate into success in next week's home run derby.
"That's a totally different swing," Frazier said with a smile. "Different bat, too."
On Saturday, Frazier's regular bat carried plenty of power. He went 2-for-4 with a double, a home run and three RBIs as the White Sox held on for a 5-4 win over the Atlanta Braves.
Frazier has homered in back-to-back games and leads the team with 25 home runs.
"His swings have looked a lot better," White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. "He's realizing maybe you can shorten it up somewhat and still get it over there. I know they had a big shift on him."
Tim Anderson, Melky Cabrera, Brett Lawrie and J.B. Shuck each added two hits for the White Sox. Chicago (45-42) earned its fifth win in the last seven games and its eighth win in the past 12 games.
Jeff Francoeur finished 1-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs to lead the Braves. Gordon Beckham and Freddie Freeman hit solo home runs for Atlanta (30-58).
Left-hander Jose Quintana (7-8) picked up his second straight victory despite allowing three home runs, which matched a season high. Quintana gave up four runs on five hits in six innings.
"I felt OK today," Quintana said. "We'll take the 'W," that's more important. But I felt OK. (I was) in trouble a couple times, but I tried to throw the ball well and keep going."
Right-hander Julio Teheran (3-8) took the loss. Teheran surrendered five runs on nine hits, all of which occurred in the first three innings. He walked one and struck out two.
"That ball here will take off," Braves manager Brian Snitker said. "It's kind of spooky sometimes how it gets in the gap. (Julio) felt good. I thought he did a great job to get through six."
White Sox right-hander Nate Jones recorded the final four outs for his third save. Closer David Robertson was unavailable because of a strained muscle in his upper left leg.
Atlanta grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first inning on Beckham's solo home run. On a full count, Beckham pulled a breaking pitch down the left-field line for his third home run.
Frazier's two-run shot put the White Sox on top 2-1 in the second inning. Braves center fielder Ender Inciarte leaped against the wall to try to make a highlight-reel catch, but the ball deflected off the tip of his glove.
Inciarte slapped his glove in frustration after the ball slipped over the wall.
"I saw his reaction right away," Frazier said. "Inciarte is an athletic person. I know he's done it before, so for me I'm just glad I got it over, got us back on the board and back in the lead."
The White Sox added three runs in the third inning to pull ahead 5-1. Jose Abreu and Cabrera drove in runs with back-to-back singles, and Frazier doubled to right-center field to score Abreu.
Francoeur cut the Braves' deficit to 5-3 in the fourth inning with a two-run shot over the left-field wall.
The Braves pulled within 5-4 in the sixth inning on Freeman's opposite-field home run.
Braves catcher Tyler Flowers exited the game during the second inning because of a left hand strain. Flowers was replaced by A.J. Pierzynski, who received a warm ovation from fans of his former White Sox.
Flowers said he felt pain in his hand after checking his swing in the first inning.
"It's kind of the best time for it to happen, extend the break a little bit," Flowers said. "We'll see what happens. We'll re-evaluate it in a couple days and see where we’re at."
The game marked the first time in big-league history with two Colombian-born starting pitchers.
"I think Colombia won today," said Quintana, who is friends with Teheran. "That's awesome for us."
NOTES: White Sox LHP Carlos Rodon was placed on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to July 6 because of a sprained left wrist. Rodon said he slipped on the dugout steps and injured his wrist as he tried to break his fall. "I'm not going to lie, I was a little embarrassed," Rodon said. ... Braves 2B Jace Peterson was held out of the starting lineup for the second straight game after starting 17 of the previous 18 games. ... White Sox RHP Tommy Kahnle was recalled from Triple-A Charlotte on Saturday. Kahnle, 26, is 2-3 with a 4.49 ERA in 95 career appearances with the White Sox and the Colorado Rockies. ... Braves OF Ender Inciarte started his fifth consecutive game after missing the previous three because of a right groin injury.
Top Game Performances
Hitting
Atlanta |
|
Chi. White Sox |
Gordon Beckham | Player |
J.B. Shuck |
1 |
Hits |
2 |
1 |
RBI |
0 |
1 |
HR |
0 |
4 |
TB |
2 |
.333 |
Avg |
.667 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Hits |
HR |
TB |
Avg |
LOB |
K |
RBI |
BB |
SB |
Errors |
Atlanta
|
8 |
3 |
18 |
.235 |
12 |
9 |
4 |
3 |
0 |
2 |
Chi. White Sox
|
11 |
1 |
15 |
.333 |
18 |
2 |
5 |
1 |
0 |
0 |