Martin Maldonado and Eloy Jimenez homered and Chris Flexen pitched effectively into the sixth inning as the host Chicago White Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays 9-4 on Friday to stop a seven-game losing streak.
Chicago won for just the fourth time in 26 games while sending Tampa Bay to its fourth loss in five games.
Nicky Lopez, Tommy Pham, Danny Mendick, Paul DeJong and Maldonado had two hits apiece for the White Sox, who had a season high in runs. Maldonado’s three-run blast broke things open in the sixth.
Flexen (1-3) was the benefactor in his return to the starting rotation after a brief detour to the bullpen.
Tampa Bay drew to within 5-2 with a pair of seventh-inning runs before Jimenez got them back with a two-run blast in the bottom half.
Andrew Vaughn opened the scoring for Chicago with an RBI sacrifice fly in the third inning.
Chicago’s run snapped a streak of 14 2/3 scoreless innings for Rays right-hander Zach Eflin, although the run was unearned.
Pham, making his White Sox debut, scored after reaching base on a throwing error by Tampa Bay second baseman Curtis Mead. Eflin walked the next two batters before the Rays escaped with allowing only one run.
Another big rally failed to materialize in the White Sox fourth. DeJong singled to score Mendick, who led off the inning with a double, but was erased when Maldonado grounded into a double play one batter later.
Flexen made the support stand up. He retired seven Rays in a row after allowing a leadoff double to Yandy Diaz and yielded only two hits in his five-plus innings to go with three walks and two strikeouts.
Consecutive leadoff walks to start the sixth spelled the end of the night for Flexen. Dominic Leone entered in relief and kept Tampa Bay scoreless.
Eflin (1-3) scattered five runs, four earned, and nine hits in six innings with two walks and four strikeouts.
Pham reached base three times. The White Sox recalled the veteran from Triple-A Charlotte before the game. He signed a minor-league deal on April 16.
Diaz left in the eighth inning after being hit on the left hand with a pitch.
Mead had two hits and an RBI.
