Mar 16, 2014; Surprise, AZ, USA; Texas Rangers right fielder
Alex Rios(51) is congratulated after a solo home run during the sixth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Surprise Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
After the first half of Sunday’s game between the Chicago White Sox and the Texas Rangers, Robin Ventura‘s club trailed by a slim 3-2 margin. However, the Rangers offense erupted for eleven runs in its final three frames at the plate, to give Texas a 14-8 win over the ChiSox in Cactus League action.
The bottom of the sixth – a five-run frame for the Rangers – was key. A pair of home runs, including a solo shot off the bat of former White Sox outfielder Alex Rios and a grand slam from catcher J.P. Arencibia, capped the scoring and setting the tone for the later innings – an offensive showcase.
Chicago answered back with five runs of its own in the top of the seventh, including a bases-clearing double from veteran first baseman Paul Konerko, but before one could blink, the Texas bats were back and piling on more damage.
The Rangers added three more runs in both the seventh and eighth innings, all but erasing any memory of yet-another solid start from White Sox lefty John Danks, who tossed five innings of three-run ball. He allowed seven hits, walking three and striking out three. His spring ERA now sits at 2.08.
A trio of White Sox relievers combined to allow ten earned runs in three innings of relief work, leaving much to be desired with the season just two weeks away. The biggest issue was keeping the ball in the yard, as those relievers combined to allow four long balls in their time on the mound.
Four different Chicago players had at least two hits in the loss, and the offense was led by Konerko’s trio of RBIs.