ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Texas right-hander Jon Gray allowed one run pitching into the eighth inning and retired the last 15 batters he faced as the Rangers beat the Chicago White Sox 3-2 on Tuesday night.
After Andrew Vaughn’s RBI single with two outs in the third inning, the White Sox didn’t get another batter on base against Gray (5-4). The last was pinch-hitter Tommy Pham for the second out of the eighth, when shortstop Jonathan Ornelas made a backhanded stop and was falling away from first base when he made a incredible throw.
Gray struck out five and walked none while throwing 63 of his 80 pitches for strikes.
The White Sox (27-76) have lost nine games in a row and 15 of 18. They are only the 12th team in MLB history with 76 losses in their first 103 games, and the first since the 1979 Oakland Athletics.
All-Star closer Kirby Yates, who gave up a ninth-inning homer in a non-save situation in the series opener Monday night, got the final two outs for his 18th save in as many chances. Andrew Benitendi led off the ninth with a homer off Josh Sborz.
Texas went ahead to stay with two runs in the first against hard-throwing All-Star lefty and AL strikeout leader Garrett Crochet (6-7). Robbie Grossman and Josh Smith had back-to-back singles, and Adolis García had an RBI single before a double steal that included Smith swiping home for a 2-0 lead. Smith added an RBI double in the eighth.
Crochet has 157 strikeouts after fanning seven in four innings. The 25-year-old converted reliever already has thrown a career-high 113 1/3 innings in 21 starts. The White Sox have limited him to 10 innings in his three July starts, plus a scoreless inning in the All-Star Game in Texas a week ago.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Rangers: RHP Jacob deGrom (right elbow surgery rehab) had a 40-pitch throwing session Tuesday, and will have another Friday. Manager Bruce Bochy said the two-time Cy Young Award winner looked good. “It’s pretty cool to watch how effortless it is, hitting 94 or 95 mph,” Bochy said. … 3B Josh Jung (right wrist fracture) faced live pitching and had no pain.
UP NEXT
Texas RHP Nathan Eovaldi (6-4, 3.36 ERA) starts Wednesday with a streak of 116 consecutive batters faced without allowing a walk, including all 98 batters in his four starts in July. White Sox RHP Chris Flexen (2-9, 5.22) is 0-6 over his last 13 starts.
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