Yankees 13, White Sox 6
CHICAGO -- Mark Teixeira had a banner night and the New York Yankees pounded out 18 hits in a 13-6 victory to begin a series against the Chicago White Sox on Friday night at U.S. Cellular Field.
Teixeira went 3-for-4 and smacked two long home runs to center field for six RBIs, including a grand slam in the second inning that gave New York a 6-0 lead against rookie left-hander Carlos Rodon.
Right fielder Carlos Beltran (3-for-4) and infielder Brendan Ryan (3-for-6) also finished with three hits, while four other Yankees had multi-hit games. Rodon (4-4) took the loss after allowing eight earned runs on eight hits in three-plus innings. Right-hander Nathan Eovaldi (11-2) earned the win by pitching 5 2/3 innings and allowing three runs on seven hits.
White Sox designated hitter Adam LaRoche tied a career high with four hits (4-for-5, RBI) and also pitched a scoreless ninth -- striking out Ryan for the third out.
The win ended a two-game losing skid for the Yankees (58-44), who are leading the American League East and opted not to trade their top prospects for a splashy trade prior to the non-waivers trade deadline earlier in the day.
It was an equally deflating loss for the White Sox (49-52), who lost for the second time in as many days after also opting not to make a trade prior to the deadline.
It didn't take the Yankees long to spoil Rodon's outing and take a commanding lead.
After scoring a run on two doubles in the first, they made it a 6-0 lead with five runs in the second on five hits, including Teixeira's slam. Rodon allowed back-to-back singles by catcher John Ryan Murphy and second baseman Brendan Ryan to start the inning, but fell into trouble after they were sacrificed to second and third.
Rodon got center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury to line out for the second out, holding Ryan at third, but control issues loaded the bases on a walk, which was followed by designated hitter Alex Rodriguez's run-scoring infield hit. Teixeira soon launched his slam to center field for his 27th homer of the season and first of the game.
Eovaldi allowed two runs in the third on a two-run homer by Chicago first baseman Jose Abreu, but got five more runs of support on another five hits by his teammates in the Yankees' half of the fourth -- again highlighted by a Teixeira homer.
Once again, Teixeira went deep over the center-field wall, with the only difference being the pitcher who threw the pitch -- right-hander Matt Albers, who relieved Rodon in the fourth with no outs. That homer set a major league record for the switch-hitting Teixeira, who has homered from both sides of the plate in the same game 14 times.
Chicago added a run in the fifth to make it 11-3, but the Yankees were still eight runs ahead.
NOTES: The Yankees and White Sox each stood pat and watched the trade deadline pass Friday without making any deals. ... The Yankees made a full slate of transactions, though. They optioned CF Slade Heathcott to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, outrighted LHP Chris Capuano to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, designated RF Garrett Jones for assignment, released RHP Esmil Rogers and activated OF/INF Dustin Ackley, acquired from the Seattle Mariners on Thursday. ... LHP CC Sabathia rejoined the Yankees in Chicago after staying behind in Texas because of dehydration issues that knocked him out of his start Thursday. It's unclear whether he'll make his next scheduled start. ... Former White Sox pitching legend Billy Pierce died at the age of 88 from complications involving gall bladder cancer. Pierce, whose No. 19 is retired by the White Sox, did a lot of charity work in Chicago after he retired. He is the second beloved White Sox legend to die this year; former SS Minnie Minoso died in January.