Corey Seager went 3-for-4 with three RBIs and Jake Burger and Wyatt Langford each homered while collecting two hits and two RBIs, boosting the visiting Texas Rangers to an 11-2 victory against the Chicago White Sox on Monday.
Kumar Rocker pitched effectively into the sixth inning as the Rangers romped past the American League Central-leading White Sox to take a half-game lead on the idle Houston Astros atop the AL West.
Texas scored in five of its first six times at bat, providing ample support for Rocker, who picked up his first victory since July 27. Rocker (5-10) spaced two runs and five hits in 5 2/3 innings while walking three against eight strikeouts.
Tristan Peters reached Rocker for a two-run homer in the bottom of the second to pull the White Sox within 3-2, but the Rangers responded with another crooked number against Chicago right-hander Jose Urquidy.
Seager drove in two runs in the third with the first of his two doubles. He added an RBI double against Tyler Schweitzer in the fifth. Burger, who played for Chicago from 2021-23, homered against Schweitzer to lead off the fifth.
Langford punctuated the scoring with a two-run blast in the ninth as the Rangers posted a season-high run total.
Urquidy (2-2) struggled in his first start since 2023, when he was with Houston. Acquired in a July trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates, he had a stint in the minor leagues, then pitched twice in relief for the White Sox, including six shutout innings Wednesday in a victory against the Chicago Cubs.
Texas reached Urquidy early on Monday. He yielded five runs and six hits in three innings with two hit batters, four walks and two strikeouts while throwing 93 pitches.
Ezequiel Duran added two hits and two RBIs for Texas. Rangers pitching retired the last 10 White Sox batters after Chase Meidroth’s two-out walk in the sixth.
Rangers right fielder Brandon Nimmo leaped over the right field wall to rob Andrew Benintendi of a potential game-tying two-run blast to end the Chicago first.
Plate umpire Chris Guccione ejected Rangers designated hitter Joc Pederson in the second inning. Pederson continued to argue from the dugout after he was not granted an ABS challenge following a strikeout.
By taking the opener of a three-game set, Texas evened the season series with Chicago at two wins apiece.