Eloy Jimenez homered for the second time in three weeks against the organization that traded him away, Jose Abreu swatted his team-leading 21st homer and Ivan Nova pitched 5 2⁄3 innings of scoreless ball to lead the White Sox past the Cubs 3-1 Sunday at Guaranteed Rate Field.
Jimenez, who beat the Cubs with a homer at Wrigley Field June 18, hit a 438-foot homer to center against Kyle Hendricks to break a scoreless tie in the fourth inning, his 16th long ball of the season. Abreu poked an opposite field shot against reliever Brad Brach in the fifth.
The result left the Cubs at 47-43 and Sox at 42-44 going into the All-Star break. The two teams split four games, going 1-1 at their respective parks.
Hendricks (7-7, 3.49 ERA), making his second start since coming off the injured list with shoulder inflammation, threw 86 pitches over four innings, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks while striking out six.
Nova (4-7, 5.58) struck out four and walked one while giving up five hits before being relieved by left-hander Jace Fry with two on and two out in the sixth. Fry retired Jason Heyward on a groundout to end the threat.
On a day in which the Cubs were 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position (the Sox were 0-for-8) Nova allowed leadoff doubles to Albert Almora Jr. and Anthony Rizzo in the third and four innings but escaped damage. He went in to the game with an 0-4 record and 8.31 ERA in seven starts at Guaranteed Rate Field this season.
Against the Cubs June 18 Nova allowed one run over five innings, getting a no-decision. Jimenez broke a tie with a two-run homer in the ninth-inning against Pedro Strop in that one.
Robel Garcia homered for the second time in his fourth major league game leading off the seventh against Aaron Bummer to cut the Sox lead to 3-1. Bummer recorded the next six outs without further damage, and Alex Colome pitched a scoreless ninth for his 20th save in 21 chances.
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