Rangers 6, White Sox 5: Pitching limps out of Texas

Bullet-point recap for the half-watched-at-work game...

*Good news: The White Sox beat up Cole Hamels pretty soundly, touching him up for five runs (three earned) on nine hits over 5⅔ innings. Todd Frazier and Brett Lawrie each homered off him in a three-run fourth inning, and Austin Jackson and Tyler Saladino bookended the scoring with key two-out singles, the latter chasing Hamels from the game in the sixth.

*Bad news: Sox pitching couldn't take advantage of it. Mat Latos had his scariest start yet, allowing five runs on seven hits and five walks over 5⅓ innings, without recording a single strikeout.

*Latos lost a 4-2 lead on a shanked two-out double by Prince Fielder in the fifth inning, dropping down the left field line after some weird contact. But since the runners who scored reached base on walks, it's hard to be sympathetic.

*Saladino put the Sox ahead 5-4 in the top of the sixth, but the lead didn't survive the inning. Ian Desmond continued to torment the Sox by blooping a single to left to score the tying run with two outs, and he scored after two more singles off Dan Jennings.

*The Sox had a chance to tie it in in the ninth after Sam Dyson plunked Jose Abreu to start the inning, but he was thrown out at second while Carlos Sanchez struck out for the double play.

*Sanchez was hitting because Todd Frazier busted his face going into the stands for a foul ball. That was a costly injury in a couple different ways, since he had continued his torrid hitting with another homer.

*Scott Carroll pitched a scoreless inning one day too late.

*Adam Eaton racked up his seventh outfield assist by throwing out Nomar Mazara at second base in the first inning.

*At least the Sox are done with the Rangers this season, having won four out of six,

Record: 23-12 | Box score | Highlights