CHICAGO — Yermín Mercedes homered and drove in three runs and Dylan Cease struck out 10 in six innings, leading the Chicago White Sox to a 5-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday at Guaranteed Rate Field.
Billy Hamilton drove in the go-ahead run with a two-out single in the sixth, and the Sox tacked on three runs in the seventh to win the opener of the four-game series in front of 9,671.
Cease allowed one run on four hits and walked two in his career-high 111-pitch outing.
Mercedes hit a solo home run to left off Orioles starter Bruce Zimmermann to give the Sox a 1-0 lead in the second.
The homer was his seventh of the season and first since the May 17 solo blast against Minnesota Twins utility player Willians Astudillo on a 3-0 pitch in the ninth of a blowout win that set off the “unwritten rule” debate. Mercedes’ home run Thursday, obviously under much different circumstances, also was on a 3-0 pitch.
Orioles shortstop Freddy Galvis homered on an 0-2 pitch with one out in the fourth to tie the game.
Andrew Vaughn started the two-out rally in the sixth for the Sox with a single. Leury García walked and Tanner Scott replaced Dillon Tate. Hamilton hit an 0-2 fastball back up the middle, and Vaughn scored from second to put the Sox ahead 2-1.
José Abreu added an RBI double and Mercedes drove in two more with a single against César Valdez in the seventh as the Sox won with regulars Adam Eaton and Tim Anderson out of the lineup.
Eaton left Wednesday’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals before the sixth with right hamstring tightness.
“Got rain, so the field’s sloppy the next couple of days so we’re going to be very careful with it,” Sox manager Tony La Russa said before the game.
Anderson missed his second consecutive game with what La Russa said was “general soreness.” A Sox spokesman said that included a sore left thumb.
Anderson is expected to return Friday.
