CHICAGO (AP) — Luis Robert hit his first home run of the season, a tiebreaking drive in the sixth inning that led the White Sox over the Seattle Mariners 3-2 on Tuesday in their home opener and extended their winning streak to three.
Robert homered off Matt Brash (0-1), a 23-year-old right-hander making his major league debut.
“He showed a lot of why he’s so special,” manager Tony La Russa said of Robert.
Seattle lost its third straight game after starting with two wins. The Mariners have scored 10 runs: only Baltimore (six) and Milwaukee (nine) began the night with fewer.
Seattle was 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position, getting an RBI single from Jesse Winker with two outs in the ninth off Liam Hendriks, who struck out Mitch Haniger on three pitches for his first save. The Mariners are hitting .156 (7 for 45) with runners in scoring position this season.
Reynaldo López (1-0) relieved left-hander Bennett Souza with two outs and two on in the fifth and threw a fastball past Haniger for a called third strike.
With Chicago leading 2-1, Aaron Bummer struck out Winker to strand two runners in the seventh. Winkler has gotten all seven of his outs this season on strikeouts.
With the potential tying run at second, Kendall Graveman threw a sinker past Jared Kelenic for a called third strike that ended the eighth.
Brash, a 23-year-old native of Kingston, Ontario, hadn’t pitched above Double-A prior to Tuesday. Brash relied on a sweeping knuckle-curve and a fastball clocked as high as 99.2 mph, on a first-inning pitch to José Abreu. Brash threw 51 knuck-curves, 30 fastballs and four changeups.
“I was just attacking the hitters,” Brash said. “I wasn’t too worried about the score.”
Brash’s lone walk, to Josh Harrison with one…
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