White Sox lose series opener to Blue Jays
Joey Loperfido homered and drove in three runs, and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Chicago White Sox 8-4 on Monday night for their ninth consecutive win.
Addison Barger and Nathan Lukes also connected as AL East-leading Toronto improved to 27-10 in its last 37 games. Bo Bichette had two hits and All-Star slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. walked three times.
At 53-38, the Blue Jays matched the franchise record for most victories before the All-Star break. It's the longest win streak for the team since an 11-game run in August 2015.
José Berríos (5-3) pitched six innings of one-run ball, bouncing back nicely after he struggled in a no-decision against the New York Yankees on Wednesday. The right-hander improved to 16-6 with a 2.96 ERA in 27 career starts against Chicago.
Mike Tauchman had three hits and two RBIs for the last-place White Sox, who won two of three at Toronto last month. Colson Montgomery, one of the team's top prospects, went 0 for 3 with a walk in his home debut.
The Blue Jays opened an 8-1 lead when they scored five times in the sixth. Barger hit a two-run drive off Sean Burke for his 12th homer, and Loperfido chopped a two-run single over a drawn-in infield.
Burke (4-8) was charged with six runs and six hits in five-plus innings. The right-hander allowed two earned runs in 16 1/3 innings over his previous three outings.
Key moment
Loperfido and Lukes hit back-to-back homers in the fifth, giving Toronto a 3-1 lead. It was Loperfido's first homer of the season and No. 5 for his career.
Key stat
It was Chicago's eighth consecutive home loss against Toronto.
Up next
Chris Bassitt (8-4, 4.32 ERA) starts for Toronto on Tuesday night, and fellow right-hander Aaron Civale (0-3, 4.29 ERA) pitches for Chicago.