White Sox break out bats against Orioles' Saunders
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Gordon Beckham went 3-for-4 with three RBI and Alexi Ramirez collected three hits, scored twice and drove in a pair of runs as the Chicago White Sox took down the Baltimore Orioles, 8-1, on Wednesday.
Alex Rios had two RBI and Dayan Viciedo had two hits and drove in a run for the White Sox, winners in seven of their last nine.
Dylan Axelrod (2-2) allowed one run on three hits and struck out five over 7 1/3 innings. He retired 13 batters in a row before issuing a walk to J.J. Hardy in the eighth.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"They talk about me being a stopper, I'm not that," Axelrod said. "I came out with that mindset of, you know, putting forth my best effort to get the team back onto a winning track. Hopefully it carries over into tomorrow, and then into Detroit (next series)."
Omar Quintanilla knocked in the lone run for the Orioles, who had a four-game winning streak snapped.
Joe Saunders (0-1) was saddled with the loss after giving up seven runs -- six earned -- on 10 hits over 5 1/3 innings in his Baltimore debut.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I just told myself to keep making pitches and things would fall my way," Saunders said. "I just tried to keep the team in the game as best I could. They turned some double plays for me, but we just fell short tonight."
Chicago put four on the board in the first. DeWayne Wise singled and Adam Dunn walked before Paul Konerko singled to shallow left to load the bases.
Rios followed with a double to right-center field to score Wise and Dunn. After Viciedo popped out, Ramirez cleared the bases with a RBI base hit to right field.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Beckham doubled off the wall in left field in the fourth inning to plate Ramirez, pushing the White Sox' cushion to 5-0.
In the home half Matt Wieters doubled, moved to third on a fly out then scored on Quintanilla's sacrifice fly.
Chicago added a pair in the sixth and one in the seventh.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In the sixth, Viciedo and Ramirez smacked back-to-back singles before advancing on Tyler Flowers' sacrifice bunt. Beckham followed with a single to score Viciedo and Ramirez.
In the seventh, Dunn walked, moved to second when Rios walked then scored when Viciedo roped a single past the outstretched arms of Manny Machado to cap the scoring.
Game Notes
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The White Sox snapped a five-game road losing streak ... Axelrod's last win came July 13 at Kansas City ... The Orioles acquired Saunders on Monday from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for pitcher Matt Lindstrom and a player to be named later.