Dylan Cease struck out 13 batters in seven innings and the Chicago White Sox withstood a final-inning jam to avoid a four-game series sweep, defeating the visiting Baltimore Orioles 4-3 on Sunday afternoon.
Crease allowed one run on four hits to continue a strong stretch that began in late May.
Gavin Sheets homered to give an early lead to the White Sox, who snapped a four-game skid.
Jonathan Arauz homered and provided a run-scoring single for the Orioles, who had a season-best four-game winning streak end.
The Orioles loaded the bases with no outs without a hit in the ninth, with the first two batters reaching on errors before a walk to Jorge Mateo and Arauz’s single. After pinch hitter Rougned Odor struck out, Cedric Mullins lofted a sacrifice fly. With runners on first and third, Kendall Graveman struck out Trey Mancini to end the game.
Cease (6-3) struck out five of the first six batters he faced. Still, he allowed an earned run for the first time in a six-start span, so a stretch of 29-plus innings came to a halt. He threw 101 pitches.
Cease struck out 11 Toronto batters in six innings in his previous start.
Joe Kelly and Graveman each worked an inning in relief, adding one and two strikeouts, respectively. Graveman picked up his third save.
Jordan Lyles (4-7) took the loss despite working seven innings — matching his second-longest stint of the season — and allowing four runs on six hits and a walk to go with four strikeouts.
Sheets’ two-run homer in the bottom of the second inning gave the White Sox their first lead in the series. It was his fifth home run of the season.
Arauz hit a solo shot in the third for his first homer of the season and his first hit as a member of the Orioles. He was in his second game with Baltimore after beginning the season with the Boston Red Sox.
Chicago’s other runs came on Andrew Vaughn’s sacrifice fly in the third inning and Seby Zavala’s RBI single in the fourth.
Sheets, Jose Abreu and Josh Harrison all had two hits for the White Sox.
Arauz and Mullins, with two singles, each had two hits. Even with the loss in the series finale, it was a strong beginning to the Orioles’ 10-game road trip.
–Field Level Media