Gavin Sheets went 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs, Tim Anderson added a solo homer, and the host Chicago White Sox cruised to a 6-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday.
Leury Garcia also drove in a run for Chicago (91-68), which won its fourth game in a row. The White Sox already have clinched the American League Central title and will wrap up the regular season with a three-game set against the Detroit Tigers starting Friday.
Delino DeShields had an RBI double for Cincinnati (82-77), which has dropped back-to-back games. The Reds were eliminated from playoff contention on Tuesday.
White Sox left-hander Carlos Rodon (13-5) gave up only one hit in five scoreless innings. He walked two and struck out four, and he finished the regular season with a 2.37 ERA.
Reds right-hander Sonny Gray (7-9) surrendered five runs on five hits in 4 2/3 innings. He walked two and fanned six, and his ERA climbed to 4.19 in his final start of 2021.
The White Sox opened the scoring in the bottom of the third. Garcia reached base on an infield single to lead off the inning, and Sheets followed with a 400-foot blast to right field for the 11th homer of his rookie campaign.
One inning later, the White Sox added two more runs to increase their lead to 4-0. Garcia ripped a single to center field to drive in Jose Abreu, and Sheets followed with a single to left-center field to bring home Yoan Moncada.
Aggressive running by Luis Robert helped the White Sox make it 5-0 in the fifth. Robert singled to left field, swiped second base, advanced to third on a groundout by Abreu and raced home on a wild pitch by Gray.
In the seventh, the White Sox went ahead 6-0 on a solo shot by Anderson. The right-handed hitting Anderson belted an outside pitch to the opposite field for his 17th homer of the season.
The Reds capped the scoring on DeShields’ run-scoring double in the ninth. The hit drove in Kyle Farmer, who had singled.
Anderson stayed in the lineup for the White Sox after appealing a three-game suspension for making contact with an umpire during Monday’s game against the Detroit Tigers.
–Field Level Media