Keuchel improves to 5-2 for flexing White Sox

WHITE SOX 10, PIRATES 3

CHICAGO — Jose Abreu homered again, Dallas Keuchel (Arkansas Razorbacks) followed Lucas Giolito’s no-hitter with six dominant innings, and the surging Chicago White Sox pounded the Pittsburgh Pirates 10-3 on Wednesday for their ninth win in 10 games.

Abreu’s 12th home run and seventh in five games, a two-run shot in the seventh, was Chicago’s fourth of the game and broke it open. Eloy Jimenez slugged a three-run home run, Danny Mendick lined a two-run drive and Edwin Encarnacion added a home run for Chicago, which leads the AL with 60 home runs.

Yoan Moncada doubled twice, and Luis Robert and Nomar Mazara had an RBI.

“We were waiting for the last couple of years and now it’s happened: We have a really good team,” said Jimenez, who hit his 10th home run. “Anybody in the lineup can do damage or get the hit to win the ballgame.”

Keuchel (5-2) allowed 2 runs on 4 hits and struck out 7 in his third consecutive win. The veteran lefthander worked briskly in a quick turnaround on a warm afternoon after Giolito shut down Pittsburgh 4-0 in the first no-hitter of the pan- demic-delayed year Tuesday night.

And Keuchel is happy to be backed by the White Sox batters and not have to face them.

“We’ve got four or five guys in this lineup who are potential MVP candidates, and that’s pretty scary,” he said. “I’m glad I’m on this side right now, and we’ve got the ability to keep it going.” Cole Tucker had two of the Pirates six hits. If it weren’t for the Pirates speedy leadoff man, Keuchel might have rivaled Giolito’s drama

against light-hitting Pittsburgh until his pitch count started climbing on a warm afternoon and he issued three walks and allowed two runs in the sixth.

BRAVES 5-2, YANKEES 1-1 In Atlanta, Freddie Freeman hit a two-run home run in the sixth inning off Chad Green and the Braves rallied to beat New York to sweep a doubleheader. The Yankees have lost five in a row. Green (2-1) allowed an infield single to Dansby Swanson with two outs in the sixth before giving up Freeman’s home run. Max Fried (5-0) allowed 4 hits and 1 run in 6 strong innings. In the opener, Ian Anderson dazzled in his big-league debut, holding the Yankees hitless into the sixth inning and ending Gerrit Cole’s 20-game winning streak.

CARDINALS 6, ROYALS 5 Kolten Wong drew a bases-loaded walk to cap off a four-run rally in the ninth inning that lifted St. Louis over Kansas City. Tyler O’Neill tied the game at 5-5 with a two-out, two-run single with the bases loaded off the glove of third baseman Maikel Franco.

TIGERS 7, CUBS 6 Niko Goodrum hit a tworun double to cap Detroit’s five-run sixth inning, and the Tigers held on for a victory over Chicago. ATHLETICS 3, RANGERS 1 Oakland’s Mike Fiers (4-1) allowed an unearned run and struck out seven over six innings in a victory over Texas.

BLUE JAYS 9, RED SOX 1 In Buffalo, N.Y., Rowdy Tellez drove in four runs with two home runs and a double for Toronto.

INDIANS 6, TWINS 3 Mike Clevinger pitched effectively in his first start since breaking covid-19 protocols, and Tyler Naquin doubled home the go-ahead run in Cleveland’s three-run eighth inning as the Indians beat Minnesota.

RAYS 4, ORIOLES 3 In St. Petersburg, Fla., Michael Perez hit a go-ahead home run in the eighth inning and Tampa Bay beat Baltimore.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

NATIONAL LEAGUE

METS 5, MARLINS 4 Wilson Ramos singled home the go-ahead run in the eighth inning after hobbled New York closer Edwin Diaz and the bullpen blew another lead provided by Jacob deGrom as the Mets beat Miami.

PHILLIES 3, NATIONALS 2 Aaron Nola (3-2) struck out eight, Bryce Harper delivered a go-ahead single in the seventh inning and visiting Philadelphia defeated Washington.