In battle of aces, Sox' Sale too much for Cubs' Lester

In a battle of pitching aces, score Saturday's to the Chicago White Sox.

Chris Sale pitched 7-plus innings of 6-hit ball, and White Sox batters scored 5 runs off the Chicago Cubs' Jon Lester to leave Wrigley Field with a 5-1 victory before 41,596 fans. Lester (4-8) threw 116 pitches over 7 innings as he gave up 7 hits. One of the runs against him was unearned. Sale (8-4) threw 115 pitches, striking out 10.

The White Sox have won the first two games of the series.

Sox batters got started quickly against Lester. Adam Eaton led off the game with a double off the wall in left-center. Tyler Saladino followed with an RBI triple to right-center, and Jose Abreu gave the Sox a 2-0 lead with a single to left-center.

Lester gave up a single in the second, but he settled down nicely after that and didn't allow a hit until Melky Cabrera led off the seventh with a single.

Things only got worse from there for Lester and the Cubs.

Avisail Garcia grounded the ball to third baseman Kris Bryant, who took long to throw the ball and then fired it over first baseman Anthony Rizzo for an error, putting runners on second and third. Alexei Ramirez singled to left field to score Cabrera. Tyler Flowers then crushed a 2-run double over the head of center fielder Dexter Fowler.

The Cubs finally broke through in the bottom of the seventh. Starlin Castro led off with a single. After Taylor Teagarden struck out, pinch hitter Jonathan Herrera doubled down the left-field line to score Castro.

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