CHICAGO (AP) - Right-hander Jake Odorizzi and the Tampa Bay Rays are glad to be leaving April behind.
The Rays lost to the White Sox for the third time in four games on Monday night, falling 7-3 to Chicago as Odorizzi (1-3) gave up four earned runs and eight hits over 4 1-3 innings.
“My execution was a lot better than it was in the last three games and that’s the positive I’m taking out of it,” said Odorizzi, who lost for the third time in four starts. “It’s discouraging. Hopefully I’m going to bounce back between now and (my next start in) New York and leave April behind.”
Alejandro De Aza hit a two-run homer, Adam Eaton added a two-run double and Marcus Semien had a two-out double for the game-winning run, leading the White Sox to the comeback victory.
Chicago slugger Jose Abreu, named American League co-player of the week earlier in the day, went 2 for 4 with a walk and an RBI, his 32nd.
But it was the unheralded trio that did most of the damage, driving in five of the seven runs.
The White Sox (14-13) moved above .500 and won their third series this season.
Andre Rienzo (2-0) allowed five hits and three runs - two earned - in six innings to get the win.
The Rays (11-15) lost for the fifth time in six games, but manager Joe Maddon isn’t worried.
“We haven’t been playing badly,” he said. “The first night (of the series) we had the game won and we lost it. The next night we come back and its 32 degrees and we pull off a nice win. And last night we had a bad game. Tonight wasn’t a bad game.”
Tampa Bay quickly jumped on top with a pair of runs in the first inning. Leadoff man Ben Zobrist doubled and scored as Rienzo threw away a sacrifice bunt attempt by Desmond Jennings. Rienzo was credited with two errors on the play. The first error was for not picking the ball up cleanly and the second was for throwing it down the right field line.
The oddities continued when No. 3 hitter Matt Joyce drove home Jennings from second base on a sacrifice fly to center. Eaton, the Chicago center fielder, made a great leaping catch before crashing into the wall. He was a little shaken on the play and threw the ball while sitting on the ground. By the time the White Sox got the ball back in, Jennings had easily raced home.
The White Sox struck back in the second. Adam Dunn led off with a single and trotted home on a two-out homer by De Aza to tie the score.
In the top of the fourth, David DeJesus doubled in Wil Myers for a 3-2 Tampa Bay lead, but Chicago answered with two in the bottom half to take a 4-3 lead.
Alexei Ramirez tripled home Dayan Viciedo with none out to tie it. Two outs later, Semien hit a two-out double to snap the tie. Ten of Semien’s 15 RBIs this season have come with two outs.
“Those (two-out) hits are really clutch,” Semien said. “Those hits can be the real difference in the game. Those are tough situations that some days they’ll go your way and some days then won’t.”
Chicago broke the game open in the sixth. Eaton doubled in a pair of runs to make it 6-3. Abreu’s run-scoring single in the eighth capped the scoring.
NOTES: Rays OF David DeJesus continues to battle left shoulder soreness and was the DH again Monday. … There’s still no timetable for the return of Chicago LHP Chris Sale (flexor muscle strain). … After RHP Scott Carroll pitched 7 1-3 strong innings to win his major league debut on Sunday, he went out to dinner with the 30 family and friends who attended the game. White Sox teammate Adam Dunn picked up the tab. … The White Sox remain home for a two-game series with the Detroit Tigers, LHP Jose Quintana (1-2) facing RHP Justin Verlander (3-1) in the opener Tuesday. The Rays go to Boston, with LHP Erik Bedard (0-1) going against RHP John Lackey (3-2).
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