Lucas Giolito struck out 10 while winning his fifth straight start and the Chicago White Sox posted their second victory of the day, beating the Kansas City Royals 4-3 on Tuesday night.
Hours after Yolmer Sanchez hit an RBI single in the ninth inning to give Chicago a 2-1 win in the resumption of a suspended game, Giolito (7-1) put on quite a performance.
The right-hander gave up a three-run homer to Alex Gordon in the first, then retired 22 of his final 24 batters. Giolito allowed three hits over eight innings, matched a career high for strikeouts and improved to 6-0 in his past eight starts. In his previous outing, he threw his first career shutout, a four-hitter against Houston.
Alex Colome worked the ninth for his 10th save in 10 chances after getting the win earlier in the day. And the White Sox made it back-to-back victories after losing six of eight.
Brad Keller (3-6) gave up four runs and 10 hits in six innings for Kansas City. The Royals have lost nine of 12.
The White Sox tied it in the third on an RBI single by Leury Garcia and back-to-back sacrifice flies by Jose Abreu and Yonder Alonso. Charlie Tilson made it 4-3 with an RBI single in the fourth.
Glenn Sparkman (1-1, 2.92) makes his second start of the season for Kansas City.
Reynaldo Lopez (3-5, 6.03 ERA) tries to bounce back after getting tagged for eight runs in 3 2/3 innings in a loss at Minnesota on Friday.
>>'Stros Outlast Cubs
Alex Bregman homered twice, his second a tiebreaking two-run shot in the sixth inning that propelled the injury-weakened Astros to a 9-6 win over the Chicago Cubs that gave manager AJ Hinch his 500th career victory.
Roberto Osuna struck out one in a perfect ninth for his 15th save.
David Bote homered twice for the Cubs and Jason Heyward, Addison Russell and Kyle Schwarber each hit one. The Cubs have piled up 21 home runs in their last seven games, but have only won twice in that stretch.
Houston's Michael Brantley had two hits and two RBIs and catcher Garrett Stubbs added two hits and drove in a run in his major league debut, a day after Jack Mayfield played in his first major league game.
Jon Lester lost his third straight decision by allowing eight hits and a season-high seven earned runs.
The Astros led by a run when Heyward tied it by opening the second inning with his solo shot off rookie Corbin Martin. The Cubs went back-to-back and took a 2-1 lead when Russell homered for the second straight game on his shot to right-center.
There was one out in the inning when the Cubs went deep again, this time on a shot by Bote, which bounced off the wall above the seats in left field to make it 3-1.
Bregman got Houston within one with his first home run. Mayfield walked with no outs in the fourth before a one-out double by Jake Marisnick. Stubbs singled to score Mayfield and tie it before an RBI single by Derek Fisher put Houston up 4-3.
Fisher stole second base with two outs and Brantley's double, which bounced off the wall in center field, scored two to push Houston's lead to 6-3.
Bote hit a two-run homer off Josh James (2-0) in the sixth inning and Schwarber tied it at 6-6 with a solo shot on the next at-bat.
Fisher walked with two outs in the sixth to end Lester's night. He was replaced by Brach, who was greeted by Bregman's second homer to put Houston up 8-6. An RBI double by Marisnick extended the lead to 9-6 in the seventh.
Martin yielded five hits and three runs in 3 2/3 innings.
Kris Bryant sat out for a second straight game after he was injured in an outfield collision with Heyward on Sunday. Maddon said he was feeling better on Tuesday and could play on Wednesday.
Kyle Hendricks (4-4, 3.34 ERA) will start for Chicago in the finale of this series on Wednesday night. Hendricks allowed six hits and three runs in six innings in his last start but did not factor into the decision in a 6-5 loss to the Reds.
Wade Miley (5-2, 3.32) is scheduled to start for the Astros on Wednesday. Miley struck out a season-high eight in his last start to extend his winning streak to four games.
>>Phillies Down Cardinals
Cesar Hernandez hit a go-ahead two-run homer, Nick Pivetta threw five tough innings and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the slumping St. Louis Cardinals 4-3 Tuesday night.
Pivetta (3-1) allowed three runs and three hits, striking out six in his first start since a demotion to Triple-A after posting an 8.35 ERA in his first four starts.
Paul Goldschmidt and Marcell Ozuna hit homers in the first inning, but the Cardinals wasted a 3-0 lead and lost for the 11th time in 15 games.
Hernandez gave the NL East-leading Phillies a 4-3 lead in the fourth when he launched his sixth homer of the season off the facing of the second deck in right field.
Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright (4-5) gave up four runs and eight hits in six innings with a season-high 10 strikeouts.
Edgar Garcia got five outs, Seranthony Dominguez retired all four batters he faced and Hector Neris finished for his 10th save in 10 tries.
The Cardinals quickly jumped ahead following a 50-minute rain delay during which Pivetta got soaked jogging in from the bullpen.
Goldschmidt slammed a hanging slider into the left-field seats for his 11th homer. After Paul DeJong was hit by a pitch, Ozuna ripped a two-run shot the opposite way to right for his 15th homer.
Pivetta helped himself with a one-out single in the third. Andrew McCutchen also singled and Bryce Harper lined a two-run double with two outs to cut the deficit to 3-2.
Harper hit another double in the fifth, but was thrown out by center fielder Harrison Bader trying to score on Rhys Hoskins' single.
Harper also struck out twice and leads the majors with 75.
Genesis Cabrera makes his major league debut for the Cardinals on Wednesday night against Phillies RHP Aaron Nola (5-0, 4.53 ERA). Nola is 3-2, 2.59 in five career starts vs. St. Louis.
