By CHARLES ODUM
ATLANTA (AP) — Dallas Keuchel collected his first RBIs since his rookie season and held Chicago to two runs in six innings as the Atlanta Braves beat the White Sox 11-5 on Saturday night.
The Braves knocked Reynaldo López out of the game with a six-run first inning that included Keuchel’s two-run single up the middle.
The White Sox have lost five straight and allowed a combined 21 runs in losing the first two games of the interleague series with Atlanta.
Josh Donaldson hit his 33rd homer in the eighth off Kelvin Herrera, Chicago’s sixth pitcher.
Keuchel (6-5) earned his third straight win. He allowed nine hits but no walks.
Lopez (8-12), who did not allow a hit in five innings in a win over Texas on Sunday, recorded only two outs in his shortest start of the season. He was pulled after giving up Keuchel’s single on his 42nd pitch of the inning.
Ozzie Albies singled and scored from first on Dansby Swanson’s double to left field to open the first. Albies slid under the tag of catcher Welington Castillo.
Billy Hamilton had a run-scoring double in the big inning. Rafael Ortega drove in a run with a single. Matt Joyce walked and scored in the inning.
Entering the game, Keuchel had driven in only one run — in his 2012 rookie season with Houston — in 63 career at-bats.
Chicago scored three runs in the seventh off right-hander Chris Martin. Two errors led to two unearned runs. Martin’s throwing error on Yoán Moncada’s grounder and Joyce’s missed attempt to catch Adam Engel’s liner extended the inning. Engel advanced to third.
Atlanta enjoyed the early offensive surge despite resting Ronald Acuña Jr. in an attempt to end his slump. Acuña drove in a run with a bases-loaded, pinch-hit fly ball to left field in the seventh.
Acuña’s batting average has dropped from .299 to .286 in 15 games since his last multi-hit game on Aug. 13. He was tied with Seattle’s Domingo Santana for the major league lead with 159 strikeouts.
Braves third base coach Ron Washington, the former Texas Rangers manager, missed the game. Washington received permission to attend a ceremony at Texas to retire the No. 10 worn by former Rangers star Michael Young. Washington’s appearance was a surprise, and he received a standing ovation.
Catching coach Sal Fasano filled in as the third base coach.
TRAINER’S ROOM
White Sox: A welt immediately formed on José Abreu’s left arm after he was hit by a pitch from Keuchel in the fourth. Abreu also was hit by a pitch in his side in the third, when he scored on Castillo’s single. Abreu remained in the game.
Braves: 1B Freddie Freeman, who was hit by a pitch in his left foot in the second inning, remained in the game for three innings but appeared to be favoring the foot. Charlie Culberson replaced Freeman in the sixth. … RF Nick Markakis (left wrist) played catch for the second straight day. He hasn’t been cleared to hit.
UP NEXT
White Sox RHP Lucas Giolito (14-7, 3.20) will make his first career start and second appearance against Atlanta on Sunday in the final game of the three-game series. Giolito will face RHP Julio Teheran (8-8, 3.39), who lost his only career start against the White Sox in 2016.
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