Baltimore, MD (SportsNetwork.com) - After being left out of the starting
lineup, Chris Davis made the most of his pinch-hitting appearance by smacking
a three-run walk-off homer that lifted the Baltimore Orioles to a 6-4 victory
over the Chicago White Sox.
With Ronald Belisario (3-4) on the mound for Chicago in the ninth with the
White Sox holding a 4-3 lead, Steve Pearce singled and Adam Jones was plunked
with no outs. Belisario struck out Nelson Cruz, but Davis entered the game to
hit for Delmon Young and crushed a slider over the wall in right for the win.
"Honestly, I was just trying to put something in the gap and tie the game,"
Davis said. "I hit it pretty good."
Caleb Joseph and Jones both homered earlier and Young finished 3-for-4 for
Baltimore, which has won three straight and five of its last six.
Brad Brach (1-0) earned the win after not allowing a hit across the eighth and
ninth innings. Orioles starter Wei-Yin Chen gave up three runs on six hits and
two walks in 5 2/3 innings of work.
Jose Abreu homered among his two hits and drove in three runs for the White
Sox, who lost their fifth straight game and eighth consecutive road contest.
Starter Chris Sale gave up two runs and a career-high 11 hits in six innings.
"One thing leads to another and it becomes a tough loss. You got to be able to
bounce back," White Sox manager Robin Ventura said.
Pearce took a one-out walk in the first inning and was brought home after
Jones' blast bounced off the top of the center-field wall and went over,
giving the O's an early 2-0 lead.
Adam Eaton singled and Gordon Beckham doubled to put men on second and third
for Chicago with one out in the third. Eaton scored on Abreu's groundout to
first, making it a 2-1 game.
Baltimore loaded the bases in the fourth when Manny Machado and Jonathan
Schoop singled and moved up on Joseph's sacrifice bunt before Nick Markakis
was hit by a pitch. Sale got out of the jam, however, by getting Pearce to fly
out to right and striking out Jones.
After Baltimore squandered another bases-loaded opportunity in the fifth,
Chicago went ahead in the sixth.
Abreu crushed a leadoff blast to center and Dayan Viciedo doubled. Three
batters later, Conor Gillaspie's fly ball to left came out of the glove
of a diving Cruz for a double, giving the White Sox a 3-2 lead and chasing
Chen from the game.
Chicago added another run in the seventh. Tyler Flowers opened the frame with
a leadoff single and came home on Abreu's deep RBI double to left.
Joseph got the O's within one during the eighth after connecting on a splitter
from reliever Zach Putnam for a home run to left.
Game Notes
Davis' homer was Baltimore's first pinch-hit, walk-off homer since Larry
Sheets in 1988 against Seattle ... Davis was hitting .130 (7-for-54) over his
last 14 games ... Abreu's 22 home runs are the most by a rookie before the
All-Star break since Mark McGwire hit 33 in 1987 ... Eaton has reached base
safely in 18 straight games.