Dylan Cease struck out a career-high 13 in seven innings, Gavin Sheets homered and the Chicago White Sox avoided a four-game sweep, holding on to beat Baltimore 4-3 on Sunday after the Orioles they scored twice in the ninth inning. .
The Orioles, helped by two errors by first baseman José Abreu, loaded the bases against Kendall Graveman with no outs before Jonathan Arauz hit an RBI single.
After pinch hitter Rougned Odor struck out, Cedric Mullins cut the score to 4-3 with a sacrifice fly. Graveman struck out Trey Mancini for his third save as the White Sox snapped a four-game losing streak, fending off their first four-game sweep at home since September 4-7, 2017 against Cleveland.
The Orioles’ four-game winning streak of the season ended.
Cease (6-3), fifth in the majors in pregame strikeouts, kept the Orioles off balance with a 90 fastball and nasty off-speed pitches. The right-hander allowed four hits, walked one and surpassed his previous record of 11 strikeouts, which he matched in Chicago’s win over Toronto on Tuesday. The only run he allowed came on a home run by Arauz.
Sheets hit a two-run homer off Jordan Lyles in the second. José Abreu hit two singles and scored two runs.
Highly touted rookie Lenyn Sosa got his first major league hit when he doubled in the third and scored. Seby Zavala added an RBI single in the fourth.
Joe Kelly drew back-to-back singles from Mullins and Mancini in the eighth. Graveman replaced Liam Hendriks, who is out with a sprained right forearm.
Lyles (4-7) went seven innings, allowing four runs on six hits.