White Sox 4, Rays 3
Alexei Ramirez had three hits and an RBI to help support 7 1/3 solid innings from Jose Quintana as visiting Chicago claimed the opener of the three-game series.
Avisail Garcia drove in two runs with a key double and Jose Abreu chipped in a run-scoring single for the White Sox, who have won four of the five meetings this year. Quintana (9-10) yielded three runs - one earned - and nine hits in winning his third straight decision while Zach Putnam worked around a single and a hit batsman in the ninth to pick up his sixth save.
Logan Forsythe drove in all three runs for Tampa Bay with a homer and a double. Jeremy Hellickson (1-4) was reached for four runs and seven hits in 4 1/3 innings as the Rays fell to 35-44 at home a year after going 51-30 at Tropicana Field.
A single and an error in the bottom of the first inning set things up for Forsythe, who delivered a two-run double to give the hosts an early lead. He also homered to begin the fourth to make it 3-0, but Chicago had a forceful reply with four runs in the fifth.
Ramirez started the scoring with a base hit to right field and Abreu followed with one to center to slice the deficit to 3-2 before Garcia put the White Sox on top with a double to left-center that scored a pair. Tampa Bay's Kevin Kiermaier was thrown out at home for the last out of the seventh as he tried to score from first on a bloop hit to right that briefly bounced away from White Sox second baseman Marcus Semien.
GAME NOTEBOOK: White Sox 1B Paul Konerko was 0-for-4 in his return to the lineup after missing more than two weeks with a broken hand. ... Semien notched a double and two walks while also scoring Chicago's first run. ... Hellickson is 0-4 with a 7.15 ERA over his last five home starts.