CHICAGO (AP) - The Baltimore Orioles kept insisting they would turn things around and break out of their slump. Maybe this is a start.
Welington Castillo hit his first career grand slam and drove in a personal-best five runs, and the Orioles snapped a six-game losing streak with a rain-delayed 10-6 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday night.
Castillo gave the Orioles an 8-5 lead with his drive against Miguel Gonzalez (4-8) in the fifth inning and helped prevent them from matching their longest slide of the season. Baltimore also evened its record at 32-32 after falling below .500 for the first time since Oct. 3, 2015.
“We needed a win, we got one today and hopefully we can keep it rolling,” Dylan Bundy said.
The Orioles have been struggling since a 22-10 start.
Things weren’t looking good for them early on, after Matt Davidson homered in his third straight game to help Chicago grab a 5-1 lead. But the Orioles turned this one around, pounding out 13 hits and overcoming two errors on the way to a lopsided victory.
Trey Mancini had a double and two singles. He scored three runs and drove in one.
Mark Trumbo added two hits and two runs, and a shaky Dylan Bundy (7-5) got the support he needed. The right-hander picked up the win after going 1-4 in his previous six starts. He gave up five runs and six hits in five innings.
Gonzalez got pounded for eight runs - matching his highest total since June 25, 2016 - and nine hits over five innings. The right-hander is 1-8 in his past nine starts.
“I’ve been there before and I’ve had success,” he said. “Right now I’m struggling. I just have to keep working between my starts and hopefully everything will turn around.”
The game was delayed 90 minutes at the start. And after getting outscored a combined 16-8 by the White Sox over the previous two games, the Orioles looked like they might get blown out again.
They jumped into it by scoring three in the fourth, with Hyun Soo Kim’s two-run single cutting it to 5-4. Castillo got caught in a rundown between second and third on the play for the third out, but did he ever make up for it in the fifth.
Gonzalez retired the first two batters before giving up singles to Trumbo and Mancini and walking Jonathan Schoop. That brought up Castillo, whose towering grand slam to the bushes beyond the center-field wall gave the Orioles an 8-5 lead.
“(Castillo) has had had a track record of that for awhile,” manager Buck Showalter said. “You always wonder how numbers are going to translate from league to league. He had to learn a lot of new hitters and new pitchers. … He’s been a quick study. Very easy to pull for, really good teammate.”
GOING DEEP
Chicago’s Alen Hanson hit his first career homer in the ninth, but the Orioles got the win they needed.
DAVIS TO DL
The Orioles placed slugging first baseman Chris Davis on the 10-day disabled list because of a strained right oblique. Davis - batting .226 with 14 homers and 26 RBIs - exited Monday’s loss to Chicago. He had trouble sleeping Tuesday night and probably won’t start treatment for a few days, manager Buck Showalter said.
The Orioles selected infielder David Washington’s contract from Triple-A Norfolk and transferred outfielder Anthony Santander from the 10-day to the 60-day DL because of a strained right forearm.
MINAYA SENT DOWN
The White Sox optioned Juan Minaya to Triple-A Charlotte after the game. He has an 8.10 ERA in seven relief appearances.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Orioles: Manager Buck Showalter held OF Seth Smith out of the lineup for the second straight game because he’s “not 100 percent,” though he wouldn’t say what the issue was.
White Sox: James Shields is ready to return to the Chicago White Sox’s rotation. The 35-year-old right-hander is scheduled to start Sunday at Toronto after being sidelined the past two months because of a strained right back muscle.
UP NEXT
The Orioles and White Sox wrap up a four-game series, with RHP Chris Tillman (1-4, 8.01 ERA) starting for Baltimore and LHP David Holmberg (1-0, 2.74) pitching for Chicago.
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