Lopez goes 8 innings as Sox blank Rangers 3-0
CHICAGO (AP) - Reynaldo Lopez hid the ball in his glove as White Sox manager Rick Renteria approached the mound. Renteria asked if Lopez had enough left to retire Shin-Soo Choo, and Lopez said it was his batter.
That was all Renteria needed to hear.
Lopez finished a career-high eight innings by striking out Choo with a runner on first, and Chicago beat the Texas Rangers 3-0 on Sunday for its first home series win this season.
"The way he went out today, there was a lot of conviction and intensity and focus in his outing today, from pitch one," Renteria said.
Lopez (1-3) allowed two hits, struck out eight and walked two in his first victory since Sept. 22 against Kansas City. The right-hander has been Chicago's best starter this year, but has been hurt by poor run support.
Leury Garcia had two hits and two RBIs, and Welington Castillo homered as the major league-worst White Sox (13-30) took three of four against last-place Texas. They won consecutive games for the first time since winning three in a row at Kansas City from April 26-28.
"This was one of the best games for us," Garcia said.
Texas (18-30) lost for the sixth time in eight games and was shut out for the first time this season. Mike Minor (3-3) struck out a season-high nine in five innings, but was charged with three runs and six hits.
Choo singled in the first and Carlos Perez led off the third with a double for the Rangers' only hits. Jace Fry pitched a perfect ninth for his first career save.
"The effort's there. However, we've got to reassess what our identity is and who we are," Texas manager Jeff Banister said. "I know we're a better ballclub than this. I know our hitters should be able to pose a better attack than we did today."
Lopez retired 17 of 18 batters before Delino DeShields walked with two outs in the eighth, prompting the visit from Renteria. The crowd cheered when Renteria left Lopez in, and the pitcher pounded his chest after he struck out Choo swinging to end the inning.
The 24-year-old Lopez struggled in his previous start, yielding six runs in two-plus innings during a 7-0 loss at Pittsburgh on Tuesday night.
"I just changed my attitude in the game," Lopez said through a translator. "I was more positive today than I was in my last outing, and I think that was one of the biggest differences."
Castillo put the White Sox in front with a one-out drive deep into the seats in left in the second. Garcia added an opposite-field, two-run single in the third, with Tim Anderson sliding in ahead of Perez's tag.
UP AND DOWN
Minor has permitted six homers in his last four starts. He is 1-2 with a 7.17 ERA in May.
"I made quality pitches all day, I felt like," he said. "The three runs, I felt like I was unlucky."
TRAINER'S ROOM
Rangers: RHP Chris Martin was activated from the 10-day disabled list and right-hander Ariel Jurado was optioned to Double-A Frisco. Martin, who had been sidelined by right forearm irritation, pitched a scoreless inning. ... LHP Matt Moore said his sore right knee has been bothering him since spring training. He was placed on the DL on Saturday. "At this point, it just makes sense to let it cool off," he said.
White Sox: OF Avisail Garcia recently had a follow-up MRI on his right hamstring injury that showed improvement, but the "continued presence" of a Grade 2 strain, according to the team. He will be receiving PRP injections and his rehab activities will be limited for the next three weeks, likely pushing back his return to game action to closer to the end of June. ... LHP Carlos Rodon (arthroscopic shoulder surgery) will join Triple-A Charlotte on Monday and make his next rehab start with the Knights on Thursday.
UP NEXT
Rangers: RHP Bartolo Colon (2-1, 2.82 ERA) makes his 22nd career appearance against the New York Yankees on Monday night in Texas. Colon, who turns 45 on Thursday, is 6-9 with a 6.11 ERA against New York, one of his former teams. RHP Masahiro Tanaka (4-2, 4.73 ERA) pitches for the Yankees.
White Sox: LHP Hector Santiago (0-1, 5.29) starts Monday night in the opener of a four-game series against Baltimore. Santiago has made three starts and nine relief appearances this year, with the White Sox losing all 12 games. RHP Andrew Cashner (1-5, 4.83 ERA) pitches for the visiting Orioles.
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Jay Cohen can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/jcohenap
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