Chicago White Sox move into second place with win over Pirates
If Dallas Keuchel had any hopes of duplicating Lucas Giolito's Tuesday night heroics, they were quickly dashed Wednesday afternoon on the first pitch, which was laced into center field by Pittsburgh's Cole Tucker.
But Keuchel quickly cut off the oxygen to the Pirates' offense, while the White Sox battered Pittsburgh's pitching in a 10-3 victory at Guaranteed Rate Field.
The win nudged the Sox into second place, a game behind a Minnesota team that will face the Sox next week. The Sox have a day off Thursday before a three-game series against Kansas City.
Keuchel didn't need a no-hitter on a day when the Sox flexed their muscle against Pittsburgh starter Trevor Williams, who yielded homers to Danny Mendick, Edwin Encarnacion and Eloy Jimenez, who showed no sign of being hurt after twisting his ankle in the no-hitter celebration Tuesday.
Yoan Moncada, Jimenez, Encarnacion and Mendick had 2-hit games in the victory.
Keuchel was dominant through five innings, at one point striking out four in a row, before his control flagged in the sixth when he walked three to load the bases before Jacob Stallings drove in a pair of runs with a single.
In six innings, Keuchel surrendered only 4 hits and 3 walks, while striking out seven. He was relieved by Jimmy Cordero, who pitched a scoreless seventh; Zack Burdi, who gave up a home run to Erik Gonzalez; and Steve Cishek, who closed out the game.
The Sox broke out early with 4 runs in the second.
After Jimenez walked, Encarnacion smashed a double that hugged the left-field foul line. Luis Robert brought Jimenez home on a sacrifice fly to center.
The Sox scored their second run when Nomar Mazara lofted a flyball into the pocket of left-center field for an RBI single.
Then Mendick hit an opposite-field fly that bounced off the glove of right fielder Gregory Polanco and into the bullpen to drive in two more.
In the fourth, Encarnacion crushed a pitch deep into left field, a shot that traveled 435 feet.
The Sox then burst out with 3 runs in the fifth. Tim Anderson reached on an infield single and Yasmani Grandal poked a hit into center, sending Anderson to third. Jimenez cleared the bases with a homer to right field.
With a commanding lead in the sixth, Keuchel tired, He yielded walks to Cole Tucker, Bryan Reynolds and Polanco before Stallings drove in the 2 runs. The side was retired on a grounder by Adam Frazier to Mendick.
After Moncada doubled, Jose Abreu quickly regained the 2 runs with a home run to left field in the seventh off Tyler Bashlor. The Pirates were only able to manage 1 more run in the eighth off Burdi on a home run by González.