CHICAGO (AP) — The Tampa Bay Rays are happy so far with the trade last July that brought them pitcher Tyler Glasnow and outfielder Austin Meadows from Pittsburgh for pitcher Chris Archer.
Meadows had a single, double, home run and three RBIs, while Glasnow struck out a career-high 11 in six innings in a 9-1 win over the White Sox on Wednesday that completed the Rays’ first series sweep in Chicago.
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“It’s definitely the mentality of it,” said Glasnow (3-0), who allowed two hits in six shutout innings, lowering his ERA to 0.53 in three starts. “I was convincing myself that things were physical before and really trying to nit-pick and bottle up stuff as opposed to being really confident and just having fun.”
Tommy Pham homered twice and extended his on-base streak to a club record 45 games, as the AL East-leading Rays won their fourth straight to improve to 10-3, their best start since 2010. They outscored Chicago 24-7 over three games.
Meadows was 7 for 10 in the series with two homers, seven RBIs and four runs.
“The biggest thing is just being myself out there, just having fun,” Meadows said. “It’s fun to just go out there each and every day and know we can compete with anybody.”
Mound prospect Shane Baz also went to Tampa Bay to complete the July 31 deal. Rays outfielder Kevin Kiermaier praised Tampa Bay management for “doing its homework to get two guys who are going to be around and very successful for years to come.”
Chicago lost its fifth consecutive game and at 3-8 is off to its worst opening since 1997.
The start was delayed 1 hour, 39 minutes because of a mix of sleet and rain. Game-time temperature was 38 degrees, matching the third-lowest in Rays history. The crowd was announced at 11,107, but it appeared fewer than 1,000 were on hand at the outset.
Reynaldo Lopez (0-2) fell behind 3-0 within 18 pitches.
Jalen Beeks gave up one run in three innings for his first professional save, allowing Yonder Alonso’s run-scoring groundout in the ninth.
Chicago entered with a major league-worst 6.72 ERA, and Lopez allowed eight runs, 10 hits and four walks in 4 1/3 innings. He has failed to get past the fifth inning in all three starts.
“A lot of it is delivery mix,” White Sox manager Rick Renteria said. “As soon as we can correct that, it puts us in a position where the games don’t get out of hand and it gets ugly.”
Meadows led off the game with a single, and Pham sent the next pitch into the right-center field bleachers. Brandon Lowe doubled with one out, and Avisail Garcia hit the first of two RBI singles.
Meadows and Pham hit back-to-back homers for a 5-0 lead in the fourth. Pham’s opposite-field drive to right-center was his eighth multi-homer game.
ON THE MOVE
The White Sox optioned LHP Caleb Frare to Triple-A Charlotte. He had a 6.75 ERA in four relief appearances this season.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Rays: INF Joey Wendle (strained left hamstring) will not come off the injury list on Thursday when eligible but may return on the homestand next week. “He’s still not doing really any baseball activity,” manager Kevin Cash said. “More just kind of running a treadmill, underwater running. He’s progressing.”
White Sox: The team debut of OF Jon Jay remains on hold because of a right hip strain and related groin soreness.
UP NEXT
Rays: RHP Ryne Stanek (0-0, 1.50 ERA) will be used as an opener in the first game of a three-game series at Toronto on Friday night.
White Sox: RHP Lucas Giolito (1-1, 5.73) will start the first of three games against the Yankees in New York on Friday night.
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