ARLINGTON, Texas — The Texas Rangers couldn’t capitalize on an early lead Monday night as the Chicago White Sox stormed back for a 10-3 victory at Globe Life Field, handing Texas a disappointing start to its seven-game homestand.
The loss dropped the Rangers to 50-50, marking the first time they’ve returned to the .500 mark since July 8. Texas has now been outscored 39-16 through its first four games following the All-Star break and saw its 10-game home winning streak against the White Sox come to an end.
Joc Pederson wasted little time electrifying the home crowd, launching Erick Fedde’s first pitch of the game over the fence for his fifth leadoff home run of the season. The blast continued Pederson’s torrid stretch, giving him eight home runs over his last 18 games and tying Jake Burger for the club lead with 17 long balls.
The Rangers added another run in the second inning when Evan Carter lined an RBI single to score Ezequiel Duran, pushing Texas ahead 2-0.
Chicago answered in the third before drawing even in the fifth. Jacob deGrom appeared poised to escape the inning with the game tied, but Andrew Benintendi delivered the decisive blow, ripping a bases-clearing double just inside the right-field line with two outs to give the White Sox a 5-2 advantage.
DeGrom (7-6) was charged with five earned runs over 4 2/3 innings, allowing seven hits while striking out six. Although he escaped a bases-loaded threat in the opening inning, elevated pitch counts throughout the night limited his outing, and his ERA climbed to 3.76 after his fifth consecutive start allowing multiple runs.
Burger gave Texas a brief spark with a solo homer to open the seventh inning, snapping a stretch of 14 consecutive hitless at-bats for the Rangers. The blast was his 17th of the season, tying Pederson for the team lead.
Chicago, however, put the game out of reach with five runs over the final three innings. Luisangel Acuña capped the scoring with a two-run single in the ninth, while Randal Grichuk added an RBI triple as the White Sox finished with 15 hits. Ten different Chicago players recorded at least one hit.
Miguel Vargas led the White Sox offense with three hits, including two RBI doubles, while Benintendi drove in three runs with his pivotal fifth-inning double. Sam Antonacci reached base in all three plate appearances against deGrom and tied the game with an RBI single before Benintendi’s game-changing hit.
Fedde did not factor into the decision after allowing two runs over four innings, striking out six without issuing a walk. Chicago’s bullpen combined to hold Texas to one run over the final five innings.
The White Sox also overcame a pair of injury concerns. Catcher Kyle Teel exited in the second inning with a left ankle injury following a play at the plate, while infielder Colson Montgomery left later with a right shin contusion after fouling a ball off his leg.
Texas will look to even the series on Tuesday as it continues its three-game set against Chicago before welcoming Seattle later this week.
