Jose Abreu, Adam LaRoche pace White Sox to win over Halos

Share

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- It took a few minutes and help from New York but Jose Abreu eventually was rewarded on Thursday night.

Replay officials determined after 140 seconds that Abreu’s liner past third base did in fact strike the left-field line and awarded him with a two-run double. That’s just the kind of night it was as the White Sox offense finally woke up en route to an 8-2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels. Jose Quintana delivered six strong innings and Abreu drove in three as the White Sox avoided a four-game sweep at the hands of the Angels. Adam LaRoche homered in the victory.

“I had my doubts,” Abreu said through an interpreter. “But thanks to (Mike Kashirsky) and the replay crew it was good.

“That was the breaking point in the game for us and we gave Quintana very good run support tonight. Finally it was a good inning for us.”

[NBC SHOP: Gear up, White Sox fans!]

The White Sox already held a 4-1 advantage when Abreu stepped in with runners on the corners and one out. Abreu worked the count full and smoked an 83-mph changeup from Angels starter Nick Tropeano down the line only for third-base umpire Dana DeMuth to rule it foul. But replays quickly showed the ball hit the chalk and White Sox manager Robin Ventura asked for a review. After 2 minutes, 20 seconds Abreu was awarded second base and both runners scored, including Tyler Saladino all the way from first base because he was running on the pitch, Ventura said.

“It can get to a point where you feel like you’re not getting a break here and there,” Ventura said. “That’s part of having replay, you can actually take a look at it. It’s a pretty big play that’s overturned and goes your way.

“Guys swung the bats tonight right out of the gate with Adam (Eaton) hitting a double and getting on the board. Just a nice job of going to the plate and making stuff happen.”

Abreu’s double was the big blow in a five-run inning that helped the White Sox awake from a week-plus long slumber and break a 1-all tie. They had scored three or fewer runs in seven of their past eight games.

But LaRoche singled through the shift to start the fifth inning ahead of an Alexei Ramirez single. Geovany Soto’s two-strike bunt for a single loaded the bases with no outs and Carlos Sanchez singled in a run to make it 2-1. Shane Victorino inexplicably threw home on Eaton’s sacrifice fly, which allowed one to score and the other runners to move into scoring position. Saladino got an RBI because of Victorino’s miscue as Soto scored from third on a blooper that just fell in to make it 4-1. Abreu, who had an RBI groundout in the first, knocked Tropeano out of the game with some help from his friends in the clubhouse.

[MORE: Rick Hahn on White Sox season: 'We're all disappointed']

The White Sox sent 10 men to the plate in the fifth inning but they weren’t done.

Avisail Garcia doubled off Cam Bedrosian to start the eighth inning and LaRoche crushed a two-run homer to right center to make it 8-2. It was only LaRoche’s second multi-hit game since July 8 and his first of the month.

Quintana enjoyed the abundance of run support.

Whereas he gave back a 1-0 first-inning lead on an RBI double by Mike Trout, Quintana didn’t relinquish the five-run cushion. Albert Pujols singled in run to make it a 6-2 game in the bottom of the fifth but Quintana got C.J. Cron looking to strand a pair of runners.

Quintana allowed two earned runs and eight hits in six innings as he improved to 7-10.

“We haven’t had a bunch of those,” LaRoche said. “We are always searching for that. Take some pressure off the pitchers and takes a little stress off of our manager --- all these one- and two-run games. We haven’t been able to put a bit one together and tonight we did.”

Contact Us