White Sox avoid 4-game sweep with 8-2 win over Angels

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) The Chicago White Sox have had trouble scoring runs in bunches. Against the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday night, they were finally able to get a big inning and avoided a four-game sweep.

Jose Abreu capped a five-run fifth with a two-run double, getting the benefit of a video replay reversal, and the White Sox ended a seven-game road losing streak with an 8-2 victory.

''We haven't had a bunch of those,''said first baseman Adam LaRoche, who ignited the pivotal inning with a single that ended a 1-for-24 drought and added a two-run homer.

''We're always searching for that kind of inning because it takes the pressure off the pitchers, and it takes a little stress off our manager after all of these one-run and two-run games. Tonight we were able to put a big one together, and that was enough.''

Jose Quintana (7-10) allowed two runs and eight hits over six innings and escaped a bases-loaded jam in the third. The left-hander struck out three and walked two - marking the 15th consecutive start in which he gave up fewer than three bases on balls.

''He attacks the zone and keeps the ball down,'' Soto said. ''He knows how to pitch. Despite being as young as he is, he really knows how to do his job and knows how to prepare for a major league game. And he's only going to get better from here.''

Minor league callup Nick Tropeano (1-2) gave up six runs and eight hits through 4 1/3 innings in his third spot start of the season, four days after struggling Matt Shoemaker was optioned to Triple-A.

The right-hander retired only one of the seven batters he faced in the fifth, when Chicago snapped a 1-all tie. Until that inning, the White Sox were 1 for 21 in the series with runners in scoring position.

''Obviously, that one big inning kind of hurt me,'' Tropeano said. ''There were a couple of balls up and couple of tough breaks off contact hits. But other than that, I felt good the first four innings. I was getting ahead of hitters and keeping them off balance. I Just fell into some bad counts in that fifth inning.''

Alexei Ramirez followed LaRoche's leadoff hit with another single, and a bunt hit by Soto loaded the bases. No. 9 hitter Carlos Sanchez gave Chicago the lead with an RBI single, Adam Eaton hit a sacrifice fly and Tyler Saladino singled home another run.

Abreu, who leads the White Sox with 73 RBIs, then lined a ball past third base that appeared to hit the line and was ruled foul by umpire Dana DeMuth. Manager Robin Ventura challenged the call, which was overturned after a video review, and Abreu was awarded a two-run double that made it 6-1.

''It can get to a point where you don't feel like you're getting a break here and there, but that's a part of having replay. You can take a look at it,'' Ventura said. ''It would be a lot different if you weren't able to. This one was overturned, and it went our way.''

One inning earlier, the White Sox had a runner at second with one out when Melky Cabrera hit a hard grounder past first baseman C.J. Cron and down the line. Umpire Ed Hickox ruled the ball foul and Ventura came out to argue, but to no avail because that type of play is not reviewable by video replay.

Eaton opened the game with a double and scored on a groundout by Abreu, giving Chicago its first lead in the series after losing the first three games 2-1, 5-3 and 1-0.

''We tried to focus on the positive and on this one, instead of the three previous games. And we're really happy about what we saw today,'' Soto said.

The Angels responded with a one-out RBI double by Mike Trout, the 22nd first-inning run Quintana has allowed this season and the 88th against the White Sox staff - the second-highest total in the majors.

The Angels loaded the bases in the third with a two-out single by Kole Calhoun and walks to Trout and Albert Pujols. But Quintana retired Cron on a fielder's choice grounder.

UP NEXT

White Sox: LHP Chris Sale (11-7) faces Mariners ace Felix Hernandez on Friday night at Seattle in the opener of a three-game series. Sale is coming off a 3-1 win over the Cubs in which he pitched seven innings of one-hit ball and tied a career high with 15 strikeouts.

Angels: LHP Hector Santiago (7-6) opposes Toronto's David Price on Friday night in the opener of a three-game set at the ''Big A,'' seeking his first victory since July 20. The first-time All-Star is 0-2 with a 5.08 ERA in his last five starts.