BASEBALL: Rays take down White Sox for 5th straight victory

Junior Caminero, Jake Fraley, and Jonny DeLuca each hit home runs as the Tampa Bay Rays backed a strong pitching performance from Jesse Scholtens in an 8-3 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday.

The Rays extended their winning streak to five games, while the White Sox dropped four of their last five. Chicago avoided a shutout with three runs in the ninth inning.

Scholtens (1-0), a former White Sox pitcher in 2023, delivered a bulk-relief outing to earn the win. He allowed just one hit and two walks while striking out three across five scoreless innings, benefiting from strong run support.

Jonny DeLuca broke the game open with a pinch-hit, three-run homer off White Sox reliever Tyler Gilbert. Yandy Díaz added an RBI double just before the blast, helping Tampa Bay pull away late.

Rays opener Cole Sulser worked the first two innings, allowing three hits and one walk while striking out one without giving up a run. Chicago second baseman Sam Antonacci, making his major league debut, recorded his first hit with a single in the second inning as the White Sox briefly threatened but failed to score.

Caminero opened the scoring with a solo home run off Chicago starter Sean Burke in the third inning. Tampa Bay added two more runs in the fifth on a Caminero groundout and a Jonathan Aranda RBI double. Fraley then led off the sixth with another solo homer.

Burke (0-2) lasted 5 1/3 innings, giving up four runs on seven hits with three walks and two strikeouts before exiting the game.

Chicago catcher Reese McGuire, who handled most of the game behind the plate, contributed offensively with an RBI single in the ninth and finished with two hits. Munetaka Murakami also reached base multiple times with a single and two walks.

The game began after a roughly 12-minute delay due to a medical emergency involving national anthem performer Gerald Chaney. He was transported to a nearby hospital for further evaluation and was later reported to be doing well, according to the White Sox.

— Field Level Media / Reuters