Tristan Peters delivered a two-run double during a six-run first inning and homered for the fourth straight game as the host Chicago White Sox topped the Texas Rangers 11-7 on Tuesday.
Chicago evened the series between American League playoff contenders at one game apiece. The White Sox out-hit the Rangers 14-11, but needed a ninth-inning escape despite their strong start.
Grant Taylor earned his eighth save, getting Cody Freeman to ground into a forceout at second with the bases loaded to end the game. Taylor entered after Hagen Smith walked the bases loaded in the ninth.
Sam Antonacci doubled against Rangers starter Jacob deGrom to start the game, and the White Sox went from there. Antonacci scored the first run on a Miguel Vargas single and an error by Texas left fielder Wyatt Langford. Braden Montgomery followed with an RBI single and Colson Montgomery walked as the first five batters reached base.
Peters, who went 3-for-3 with three RBIs, made it 4-0 with a two-run double. Brenton Doyle punctuated the early eruption with a two-run single.
deGrom (9-9) needed 87 pitches to complete 3 2/3 innings. He scattered eight runs on six hits and five walks with two strikeouts.
Chicago left-hander Anthony Kay benefited from the early run support but fell one out short of qualifying for the victory. He yielded four runs and six hits in 4 2/3 innings with a hit batter, two walks and four strikeouts.
Bryan Hudson (4-4) pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings.
Texas reached Kay for a pair of home runs. Jake Burger hit his club-leading 23rd homer, a solo shot in the second inning, while Danny Jansen contributed a two-run blast in the fifth.
Ezequiel Duran chased Kay with an RBI single later in the inning, but Chicago responded with two runs in the bottom of the inning, including an Antonacci RBI triple.
Chase Meidroth had three hits for the White Sox, while Antonacci, Vargas and Doyle each added two.
Jansen hit an RBI double ahead of Justin Foscue’s two-run home run in the sixth to help the Rangers draw within 10-7. Peters connected for a solo shot against Peyton Gray in the bottom half.
Foscue, Langford and Jansen collected two hits apiece for Texas.
Chicago maintained its lead in the American League Central, while Texas fell a half-game behind Houston in the AL West.