White Sox pitchers overwhelm Brewers
Luis Robert Jr. had two hits and four RBIs, Miguel Vargas smacked a three-run home run and Sean Burke pitched six shutout innings as the host Chicago White Sox routed the Milwaukee Brewers 8-0 on Thursday afternoon.
Chicago averted a three-game series sweep behind a timely, nine-hit attack and a resilient pitching staff that delivered a combined two-hitter.
Burke (2-4) established the tone, retiring 15 of the final 17 Brewers he faced after escaping first-inning trouble. The rookie right-hander walked the bases loaded before Rhys Hoskins sent a long fly ball toward the wall in center field, where Robert made a leaping catch to deny Hoskins a grand slam and end the threat.
Robert opened the scoring with an RBI single in the bottom of the inning. He broke things open with a bases-clearing double in the seventh.
Milwaukee stuck around in the game behind rookie righty Chad Patrick (1-3), who fell one out short of notching a quality start. Patrick scattered three runs and six hits in 5 2/3 innings with four strikeouts and no walks.
Patrick exited after allowing Andrew Vaughn’s two-out single in the sixth. Vargas greeted reliever Craig Yoho with a three-run blast, extending his hitting streak to eight games.
