Sanchez's 2-run homer powers White Sox past Rangers

The Chicago White Sox played their 81st game of the season Sunday, so they've reached the halfway point of the season.

The Sox are 36-45 after rallying for a 6-5 victory over the Texas Rangers at Guaranteed Rate Field. Considering they are in the early stages of a rebuild, the record is not a big surprise.

"We've hung in there," manager Rick Renteria said. "We've had some ups and downs, obviously a lot of things have occurred, some injuries, things of that nature, which happens to every club. We're not unique, I've said that before. But we've continued to play and grind out ballgames.

"I think sometimes when people think we're out, we still battle. Some instances we may not complete the return, but fortunately for us this last week we had a couple of nice endings."

Sunday was very nice for the White Sox after Yolmer Sanchez hit a 2-run homer in the eighth inning to decide the outcome.

On a 1-2 pitch from Rangers reliever Jose Leclerc, Sanchez pounced on a hanging slider and hit a 404-foot shot over the right-field fence.

"When I hit the ball, I knew I got it on the barrel," Sanchez said. "I knew I hit it really hard."

Jose Quintana started for the Sox and lasted just 4⅓ innings, allowing 5 runs (3 earned) on 6 hits and 2 walks.

The Sox had 4 errors through four innings, which paved the way for Quintana's early exit.

"As we've talked about since the beginning of spring training, we have to play clean baseball," Renteria said. "Had we played cleaner baseball than that, it might not have been so dramatic. (Quintana's) outing, it should have been so much better, but we didn't help him.

"As he continued to grind through and work through all the traffic, his pitch count kept getting higher and higher. It just got to the point where he had given us what he was going to give us."

Wild finish:

Trailing 6-5 with two outs in the ninth inning Sunday, the Rangers had the bases loaded with two outs.

David Robertson struck out Carlos Gomez to seemingly end the game, but the ball skipped past catcher Kevan Smith and Joey Gallo charged home from third as the tying run.

Smith recovered the ball, dove forward and tagged the plate before Gallo arrived for the final out.

"A calm panic, I guess you could say," Smith said. "I knew (Robertson) was going to throw it down, so I was prepared for it. I actually thought the ball was right in front of me and when it wasn't there it's kind of that moment where you peek back. I just kind of took control.

"I didn't even realize Gomez didn't even run. I just saw I had plenty of time with Gallo."

Signing day:

The Sox signed international free-agent Jefferson Mendoza on Sunday.

Mendoza, 16, is a right-handed hitting catcher from Venezuela. He is a 6-foot, 170-pounder.

"Jefferson is a plus defensive catcher with an excellent frame for the position," said Marco Paddy, the White Sox's director of international operations. "His abilities to handle a pitching staff and call a game should help him develop quickly."