White Sox 7, Astros 2: Dunn, bullpen bring home winner

Jose Quintana and Collin McHugh had the hitters baffled for the first four and a half innings until the Astros broke through in the fifth with help from Dayan Viciedo.

Jonathan Villar and Jose Altuve hit back to back singles to start the frame, but Viciedo bobbled Altuve's to allow both men to move up a base. So when George Springer hit a would be double play ball to short, it instead scored a run. The Astros would score another when Jason Castro slashed a two-out single to left to bring home Altuve.

The bad feelings didn't last long though. With one out in the top of the sixth, Conor Gillaspie drew a walk which brought Jose Abreu up to the plate. After flailing away at two balls in the dirt, McHugh did the White Sox a favor and barely nicked the jersey of Abreu to put two men on. Up stepped Adam Dunn, and there went the Astros lead as Dunn crushed one into the upper deck in right field to put the Sox ahead 3-2. Viciedo followed with a shot off the wall in left to bring McHugh's evening to an abrupt end. After a ground out and a walk, Tyler Flowers hit a good curveball to right field for a single which brought home Viciedo.

That was all the White Sox would need, as Jake Petricka, Zach Putnam, Ronald Belisario and Frank Francisco each threw a scoreless inning to close out the game.

The Sox added a few more runs in the eighth. With one out, Alejandro De Aza reached on an error by Villar. Flowers followed with a walk. After Moises Sierra popped out, Gordon Beckham ripped a single to left to bring home De Aza. Gillaspie followed with a two-run double to right to give the Sox a 7-2 lead.

* Chris Sale and Adam Eaton each had a successful return to action tonight in Triple-A.

* Jose Abreu, other than the important hit by pitch, looked awful tonight in a Sox win going 0-4 with 2 strikeouts and a lot of bad swings. That doesn't happen often.

Record: 21-22 | Box