TORONTO — A White Sox offense that found life while getting swept at home by the Cardinals took its newly awakened power north of the border Friday, overpowering the Blue Jays 7-1 to end an eight-game losing streak.
A day after hitting a grand slam against St. Louis, Andrew Benintendi launched the White Sox to a 1-0 lead in the first inning with a 425-foot shot into the Rogers Centre’s right-field bleachers off Jays starter Spencer Turnbull. He added an RBI single the next inning.
Lenyn Sosa tripled in the second and scored on an Austin Slater single. And Luis Robert Jr. exorcised some of his first-half demons at the plate by belting a 441-foot two-run homer to left field in the third inning, the Sox’ longest bomb of the year.
“You get excited when Luis does damage like that,” manager Will Venable said.
Josh Rojas later knocked in two with a double. It was more than enough on a bullpen day that saw five pitchers limit a potent Toronto offense to six singles and a double.
Opener Grant Taylor closed out a clean first frame by blowing away Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. with three fastballs over 98 mph.
“Four heaters, three of on top of the zone, got some swing-and-miss,” Taylor said. “I was really excited about that.
Martin smartin’
Friday’s scheduled starter Davis Martin was scratched and placed on the 15-day injured list with a forearm strain that cropped up during his start last week at Houston. He said he doesn’t expect an extended break from action.
“If it was September and we were going to the playoffs, it’s something I could’ve easily thrown through, but it’s something we deemed, ‘Let’s be smart, let’s not try to push something that we don’t need to push,” he said.
Martin’s 2-7 record belies a solid start to his third season with the Sox. The 28-year-old Texas righty has notched a 3.79 ERA with 53 strikeouts over 80 ⅔ innings.
Reliever Cam Booser, who was roughed up for three runs en route to the Cardinal’s doubleheader sweep of the Sox, also landed on the IL with a strained shoulder.
Teelin’ it out
Rookie catcher Kyle Teel took a turn in left field to close out Thursday’s twin bill.
“It’s like riding a bike,” said Teel, who played outfield at Virginia and both corner spots for the USA Collegiate National Team. “Shag out there all the time, so I was just hoping they would hit me the ball.”
Some fans might like that idea in order to keep Teel in the lineup alongside fellow first-year backstop Edgar Quero, who has swiftly become one of the Sox’ most reliable hitters.
But manager Will Venable swatted it aside: “That was a pure emergency. No thought to make that a thing.”
Cue up ‘Don’t Stop Believin’’
The Sox announced the lineup of 2005 World Series heroes who will return to Rate Field next month for the championship squad’s 20-year reunion weekend, celebrated during the series against Cleveland July 11-13.
The nostalgia fest will be headlined by Ozzie Guillén, Geoff Blum, Mark Buehrle (who gets a statue July 11), José Contreras, Joe Crede, Jermaine Dye, Carl Everett, Freddy García, Jon Garland, Tadahito Iguchi, Paul Konerko, A.J. Pierzynski, Scott Podsednik, Juan Uribe and more.