White Sox bash four homers, thrash Cubs in series opener

Chase Meidroth, Colson Montgomery, Austin Slater and Mike Tauchman homered and Adrian Houser pitched effectively into the seventh inning as the host Chicago White Sox routed the Chicago Cubs 12-5 on Friday.

Winners of six of seven since the All-Star break, the White Sox collected 18 hits, including seven for extra bases. Each starter had at least one hit while all but one had an RBI in the opener of a three-game series.

Cubs starter Shota Imanaga (7-4) matched the shortest outing of his major league career, surrendering seven runs and 12 hits in three-plus innings. That included a trio of solo home runs as well as a two-run single off the bat of Lenyn Sosa during the White Sox' three-run first-inning outburst that saw Imanaga throw 35 of his 85 pitches.

Slater opened the fourth with a home run before Edgar Quero chased Imanaga with a double as part of a 4-for-5 night. Miguel Vargas and Meidroth contributed three hits apiece while Slater and Sosa each added two hits. Meidroth and Slater each scored three runs.

The offensive barrage certainly pleased the South Side backers among a sellout crowd of 38,762, especially after the Cubs swept the visiting White Sox from May 16-18.

The Cubs struck out just three times against Houser, who won his fourth consecutive decision. Houser (6-2) allowed three runs on five hits and three walks in 6 2/3 innings.

Cubs catcher Reese McGuire belted a three-run home run in the seventh, slicing the visitors' deficit to 11-3. McGuire paced the Cubs' nine-hit attack, going 3-for-4 with four RBIs, including a run-scoring single in the ninth.

Vidal Brujan also had a season-high three hits for the Cubs.

Montgomery has homered in three straight games for the White Sox, and he has seven RBIs in that span.

White Sox center fielder Luis Robert Jr., who is riding a nine-game hitting streak, missed the game with a sore adductor.

--Field Level Media