PITTSBURGH — White Sox right fielder Mike Tauchman stepped to the plate in the sixth inning Saturday with two outs and the bases loaded against Pirates reliever Isaac Mattson in a tie game.
The Sox, who had little success against right-hander Mike Burrows, were in prime position to flip the game after entering the inning trailing by two runs.
Mattson was aggressive against Tauchman, getting ahead in the count 0-2. After Tauchman fouled off a fastball in the zone, Mattson made a mistake on the fourth pitch of the at-bat, and Tauchman made him pay.
He unloaded on a slider for a bases-clearing double to center to give the Sox their first lead. His hit drew a loud “Sell the team” chant from Pirates fans at PNC Park.
Chase Meidroth drove in the sixth run of the inning with a single before Miguel Vargas, who began the sixth with a leadoff double, grounded out to end the inning.
“It was a great inning for the boys,” Tauchman said.
The Sox’ explosive sixth clinched a 10-4 victory against the Pirates for a series win. Their first series win after the All-Star break last season came in September. The Sox (34-65) had 13 hits and have totaled 20 runs in the last two games.
The Sox got off to a slow start offensively; their first hit — a single by Luis Robert Jr. — didn’t come until the fifth when they were trailing 3-0. Robert then stole his 24th base. That hit put a little dent in Burrows, who had dominated the Sox until that point.
After Colson Montgomery struck out for the second out, Lenyn Sosa drove in Robert with a single, and Josh Rojas drove in Sosa with a double.
“We just keep grinding and competing,” manager Will Venable said. “Until you are out, you have a shot to do something positive.
‘‘Our guys have had that mindset and continue to have that aggressive mindset of competing.”
Smith sidelined
All-Star Shane Smith was put on the 15-day injured list with a sprained left ankle suffered while running during a team workout Thursday.
Assistant general manager Josh Barfield said imaging was done, and “everything came back clean.” He said Smith can continue throwing.
“It shouldn’t be too long after that he’s eligible to be reinstated,” Barfield said.
Tuesday’s spot in the rotation has yet to be determined, but it’s likely that right-hander Davis Martin returns in Tampa. He’s nearing a return from his own injured-list stint.
As Smith nears a career high in innings, Barfield said the Sox have a specific number in mind that has been discussed among the coaching staff, performance group and front office.
“We’ve run through a lot of different scenarios to make sure we’re not redlining him,” Barfield said. “This is a long season, and we want to make sure he’s not going over a certain threshold of innings.”
Roster moves
Right-hander Wikelman Gonzalez was recalled from Triple-A Charlotte before the game.
υ Utility player Brooks Baldwin returned from his rehab assignment and was activated off the 10-day injured list.
υ Outfielder Will Robertson was optioned to Charlotte.