White Sox 3, Rangers 2
CHICAGO -- Carlos Rodon bounced back from his first big-league loss with six solid innings and the Chicago White Sox bullpen recorded three scoreless innings in a 3-2 win over the Texas Rangers on Saturday.
The win snapped Chicago's season-high eight-game losing streak.
White Sox closer David Robertson, who failed to protect a one-run lead Friday night when starter Chris Sale threw eight scoreless innings and struck out 14, earned his 14th save with a perfect ninth.
The bullpen effort earned Rodon (3-1) the victory after the rookie left-handed pitcher allowed only two runs in six innings. Rodon scattered four hits and struck five while walking three.
The White Sox (29-38) built a 3-0 lead in the third inning. After stringing together three straight singles, designated hitter Adam LaRoche delivered an RBI sacrifice fly before two more runs scored when a routine Alexei Ramirez ground ball skipped off of the glove of Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus and into center field.
The error -- the Rangers' second in two days following an eight-game stretch without one -- allowed White Sox right fielder Avisail Garcia and first baseman Jose Abreu to score.
After hitting a pair of hitters to load the bases, Rangers starting pitcher Nick Martinez (5-3) finally got out of the jam by striking out second baseman Carlos Sanchez in an inning when the White Sox sent nine hitters to the plate.
The Rangers (37-32) answered with two fourth-inning runs. Catcher Carlos Corporan singled in left fielder Ryan Rua, who led off with a single before third baseman Adam Rosales scored on a fielder's choice by second baseman Rougned Odor, trimming the deficit to a run.
Enter the White Sox bullpen.
Reliever Zach Putnam struck out the side in the seventh before left-hander Zach Duke pitched a perfect eighth. That left the job up to Robertson, who yielded a game-winning, pinch-hit two-run single in the ninth inning on Friday. Robertson responded, retiring the Rangers in order in the ninth Saturday to earn the win.
NOTES: A throwing error by Texas 3B Joey Gallo in Friday's 2-1 win over the White Sox snapped an eight-game errorless streak by the Rangers, their longest such string since 2013.The Rangers added two more on Saturday -- both by SS Elvis Andrus. ... Gallo, who made two impressive catches on foul pop-ups in Friday's victory, did not start Saturday, but he entered the game in the seventh inning as a pinch hitter and stayed in at third base for Adam Rosales. Mitch Moreland, who had a game-winning, two-run pinch-hit single Friday, got the start at first. ... With Friday's 2-1 heartbreaker, the White Sox became the fourth team in major league history to lose when their starter (LHP Chris Sale) pitched at least eight innings and struck out at least 14 hitters.