PATRICK ROSE
Associated Press
CHICAGO (AP) — Jose Abreu’s home run broke a 67 at-bat homerless streak for the rookie slugger, but it was not enough to spark a stagnant White Sox offense.
Chris Tillman (10-5) threw eight strong innings and the AL East-leading Baltimore Orioles won their third in a row, beating the Chicago White Sox 5-1 Tuesday night.
Jose Quintana (6-10) lost his third straight start, allowing four runs and eight hits in six innings. Chicago matched a season worst by falling eight games below .500 and has lost nine of its last 13 games.
“Offensively, we didn’t get anything going. We’ve been that way for a couple days, we haven’t really got a rally going to get a big hit and keep it going,” said White Sox manager Robin Ventura.
Nick Hundley homered, Chris Davis had a two-run double and Adam Jones and Delmon Young also drove in runs for the Orioles, who improved to 20 games above .500.
Tillman matched a career high with nine strikeouts, giving up one run and three hits. He won for the third time this month as Baltimore improved to 38-26 away from Camden Yards and held Chicago without a hit after the third inning.
Tillman’s lone mistake came in the first when he allowed Abreu’s 32nd home run, tying the Orioles’ Nelson Cruz and Miami’s Giancarlo Stanton for the most in baseball. The homer was Abreu’s first of the month.
“It is one of those things that is part of the game. It happened to me in Cuba before. I know it’s one of those things that you go through during a season, but today I was glad and thankful that I was able to make good contact and tomorrow I may have another one,” Abreu said through a translator.
The Orioles got off to a good start when they took the lead on Jones’ one-out single in the first, driving in Steve Pearce.
Abreu evened the game in the bottom of the inning. He hit his first homer since July 29.
“I’m not even surprise. He can still hit them which is good to see,” said Ventura.
Baltimore then retook the lead in the sixth, scoring three times with two outs. Young’s two-out single drove in Jones, and Davis doubled home two more.
Hundley then added to the lead when he led off the seventh against Chicago reliever Daniel Webb with his fourth homer of the season.
“We’re one closer to getting through 38 and being in the playoffs. That’s what it means,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. “But you just keep playing the games. Keep playing the games. They inch along this time of year and you don’t spend a lot of time watching other scoreboards. You spend the time watching your own scoreboard.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Orioles: SS J.J. Hardy played his fifth straight game after missing three with a sprained left thumb.
White Sox: OF Avisail Garcia started his fourth straight game since coming off the disabled list Saturday with a torn labrum in his left shoulder. He was 0 for 3.
UP NEXT
Orioles: Wei-Yin Chen (12-4, 3.76) is scheduled to start Wednesday. He is winless in his previous three outings.
White Sox: RHP Hector Noesi (7-8, 4.84) is scheduled to make his 21st start of the season. Since joining the White Sox, he has lowered his ERA from 14.21 to 4.84.
SHIFTING ROTATION
Showalter said Ubaldo Jimenez (4-9, 4.83) is moving to the bullpen. With right-hander Miguel Gonzalez (6-6, 3.80) expected to be recalled soon after throwing a 75-pitch simulated game Monday for Double-A Bowie, the Orioles needed to clear a spot in the rotation for his impending return.
ALL ICY
White Sox television play-by-play announcer Ken “Hawk” Harrelson took the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge between the third and fourth innings. Harrelson, 72, had a bucket dumped on him by the Sox mascot and also Jim Thome, and then challenged MLB Network analyst Dan Plesac, Oakland Athletics announcer Ray Fosse, and Sox trainer Herm Schneider.
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