Orioles rough up Miguel Gonzalez in 7-5 win over White Sox
CHICAGO (AP) — For most of his major league career, Miguel Gonzalez watched from the dugout as the Orioles' offense pounded opposing pitchers. On Friday night, for the first time, he was the opposing pitcher.
Pedro Alvarez hit two solo shots to extend his homer streak and Baltimore had 16 hits to overpower the Chicago White Sox 7-5 on Friday night and keep pace with Toronto for first place in the AL East.
In his first start against his former team, Gonzalez (2-6) allowed four runs — three earned — on 10 hits in six innings.
Gonzalez spent the four previous seasons with the Orioles before being released during spring training and being picked up by the White Sox.
"I know what they are capable of doing. They have a great lineup," Gonzalez said. "You can't give in. You're behind in the count, bad things are going to happen. They're going to capitalize. That's why they have a good team out there. Manny Machado, he's been hitting the ball really good. I was behind in the count both times, and he was able to capitalize. You tip your hat to them, you move on."
Chicago's Jose Abreu went deep for the second straight game after 32 contests without a homer, and Avisail Garcia had two RBIs. The White Sox have lost seven of nine.
Alvarez has five homers in his last three games. Machado doubled in two runs and scored in the third in a three-hit night, and Adam Jones and J.J. Hardy also had three hits each to help the Orioles win for the fourth time in five games.
Yovani Gallardo (4-3) pitched six innings of two-run ball for his first victory since June 29.
"I felt good. The most important thing was able to get ahead of hitters," Gallardo said. "Fastball command, getting head early that was the thing we did early, be aggressive in the zone. Then everything played off of that. I felt good. It was a good overall win."
The White Sox touched up Gallardo for two runs in the fourth, but that was it as he scattered seven hits and walked only one. In his previous six starts, the right-hander was 0-2 with four no-decisions, allowing 20 runs in 32 innings.
Zach Britton struck out three in the ninth for his 34th save in 34 chances. Abreu reached first with two outs after swinging at a low pitch that got away, then Justin Morneau grounded out to first to end the game.
Morneau didn't run to first base, instead he argued that he fouled the ball off his foot. White Sox manager Robin Ventura quickly came out of the dugout and extended the argument with home plate umpire Mike Winters to no avail.
"It's odd that you see a guy do that, and he doesn't get it. Especially a guy like Justin. He has played a long time and I've never seen him pull anything like that. That part becomes a little frustrating," said Ventura. "Very rarely is that called a fair ball and you just go with it."
Alvarez, who homered twice against the Rangers on Tuesday and once Thursday, upped his total to 18. He has three multi-homer games this season and 13 in his career. Alvarez's drive to center in the second to put Baltimore ahead 1-0.
"The good thing about this team is that anybody on any given day can get the job done and win a game. When you have that there is no pressure on anybody to want to do extra and do more than what they could," said Alvarez.
The Orioles extended it to 4-0 in the third. Machado lined a double to the right-center gap to drive in two runs, then he came home on Tyler Saladino's wild throw following Mark Trumbo's infield single.
The White Sox cut it to 4-2 in the fourth on Abreu's solo shot and Garcia's RBI double.
Alvarez smacked a long drive to right off reliever Tommy Kahnle in the eighth to start a three-run rally that allowed the Orioles to pull away.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Baltimore: LHP Wade Miley, who took a line drive off his left calf and limped off the mound to conclude a lackluster first start with the Orioles on Thursday night, "should be OK" and not miss a turn in the rotation, according to manager Buck Showalter.
White Sox: Rookie SS Tim Anderson (bruised left hand) didn't start Friday and is out day-to-day. He left in the first inning of Chicago's 6-3 win at Detroit on Thursday after being hit by pitch.
UP NEXT: Orioles ace righty Chris Tillman (14-3, 3.46) faces Chicago LHP Carlos Rodon (2-8, 4.67) on Saturday night. Tillman, looking to join Toronto's J.A. Happ and Washington's Stephen Strasburg as a 15-game winner, is 0-1 in his last two starts after winning four straight. Rodon makes his second start after returning last Sunday from the DL with a sprained right wrist.