the rookie slugger Jake Burger hit a solo homer and RBI single, Dylan Cease dominated until the sixth inning and the Chicago White Sox They defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 on Friday.
Cease (2-0) struck out eight and allowed only one run in 5 2/3 innings. Gavin Sheets and Leury Garcia doubled and scored. Chicago improved to 5-2, its best start since 2016.
Ji-Man Choi and Yandy Diaz drove in runs with doubles off reliever Aaron Bummer in the third straight loss for Tampa Bay, which has lost four of five games after starting the season 3-0.
Cease gave up three hits and walked two, but otherwise looked dominant after a solid performance in Detroit last Sunday. The right-hander had 91 pitches before Bummer came on with two outs in the sixth and Brandon Lowe on first.
Choi and Diaz hit two straight doubles to put Tampa Bay on the board.
Drew Rasmussen (0-1) took the loss after giving up three runs on five hits over five innings.
For the Rays, Cubans Randy Díaz, 4-1 with an RBI and Randy Arozarena, 4-0; the Dominicans Manuel Margot, 4-2, Wander Franco, 4-2 and Francisco Mejía, 3-0.
For the White socks Dominicans Leury García, 3-1, with 1 produced, and Eloy Jiménez, 3-0; and the Cubans Yasmani Grandal, 3-0, José Abreu, 4-0 and Luis Robert, 4-0.
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