Uribe has career-high 7 RBI in loss
MONTREAL (AP) -- Even after Juan Rivera hit two homers in the
second inning, the Montreal Expos had to hang on before they
finally brought their seven-game losing streak to an end.
Rivera hit his first career grand slam and a two-run shot in the
second inning and Montreal built a 10-run lead before ending a wild
17-14 win over the Chicago White Sox on Saturday night.
"At the end, I enjoyed it very much," Expos manager Frank
Robinson said. "It wasn't very enjoyable from about the fourth
inning on."
Juan Uribe had a career-high seven RBI for the White Sox, who
overcame an 11-1 deficit to draw as close as 15-14.
"The positive thing is that we came back," White Sox manager
Ozzie Guillen said. "We had a chance to win it."
Rivera drove in six runs in the inning, tying Andre Dawson's
team record with a two-run homer and a grand slam in the second off
Arnie Munoz (0-1), who made his major league debut.
"It felt great because it was obviously the first time I've hit
two home runs in one inning, and it was first grand slam in the big
leagues," Rivera said through an interpreter.
Tim Raines' No. 30 was retired by the Expos in a pregame
ceremony as the game drew 18,114, the biggest Olympic Stadium crowd
since 30,112 attended the team's Montreal opener on Apr. 23.
Montreal, which ended a seven-game losing streak, scored nine of
its 11 runs off Munoz in the second for its biggest inning in
nearly five years. The Expos scored nine runs in a 10-4 win in
Milwaukee on Aug. 1, 1999.
"I feel like the hitting has been coming around," Rivera said.
"We've been hitting the ball better lately and driving runners in
from third at a better pace than we did earlier in the year."
Rivera's slam came with two outs and gave the Expos a 10-1 lead.
Rivera became the first major league player to hit two homers in
one inning since Pittsburgh's Reggie Sanders on Aug. 20.
It was the fifth time a Montreal player hit two homers in the
same inning, and first since Mike Lansing did it in the sixth
inning of a 19-3 win in San Francisco on May 7, 1997.
Dawson accomplished the feat twice for the Expos. His record of
six RBI in an innings was set Sept. 24, 1985, in the fifth inning
at Wrigley Field against the Cubs.
Trailing 11-1 through three, Chicago scored five in the fourth.
While Montreal scored runs in each of the next three innings, the
White Sox scored three in the sixth and four in the seventh to draw
to within 15-13.
Chicago drew to within one on Sandy Alomar Jr.'s RBI grounder in
the eighth off Chad Cordero. Alomar reached safely when shortstop
Orlando Cabrera dropped second baseman Jose Vidro's throw to put
runners at first and second with nobody out.
Willie Harris popped up his bunt attempt to third baseman Jamey
Carroll and Cordero caught both Timo Perez and Uribe looking at
called third strikes to escape the jam.
"I couldn't believe that it was happening but I never thought
that they were going to tie the game," Rivera said. "I felt it
was just impossible for them to make that type of comeback."
Terrmel Sledge hit a two-run homer in the eighth off Neal Cotts
to give Cordero a three-run lead.
"I don't know of any bigger hit we've had this year," Robinson
said. "That's probably the biggest one."
Cordero pitched a perfect ninth for his second save in three
opportunities.
"We battled back, they battled back," Cordero said. "We put
up a nine-spot in the second and they came back and scored five
runs. It's a huge win for us."
Jeremy Fikac (1-2) got two outs in the seventh for the win
despite allowing two singles which drove in three runs.
Uribe, who fell a triple short of hitting for the cycle, went
3-for-6.
Munoz, who turns 22 on Monday, made his major league debut after
he was recalled from Double-A Birmingham on Friday.
He allowed 11 runs and 10 hits in three innings, in the worst
debut by a starter in the majors since April 7, 1996, when St.
Louis' Mike Busby allowed 13 runs -- eight earned -- and nine hits in
four innings of a 13-3 loss in Atlanta.
"There's nothing you can do about it," Guillen said. "I told
him, 'Don't worry about it, I've seen it before. You're not the
only one. Keep your head up get ready for the next start."
Game notes
Munoz was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte after the game.
... White Sox 3B Joe Crede left the game defensively in the seventh
and was sent for X-rays after he was on the left hand by a pitch.
... Vidro caught Paul Konerko's pop after it struck the stadium's
roof for the first out of the second. ... Joe Crede was the last
White Sox player to drive in seven runs in a game. He recorded the
feat on Aug. 27, 2002 against Toronto. ... Rivera is the 11th
player to hit a grand slam as part of a two-homer inning. St.
Louis' Fernando Tatis is the only player to hit two grand slams in
one inning. Tatis did it in the third inning off Los Angeles' Chan
Ho Park on April 23, 1999, at Dodger Stadium.
2022 American League Central Standings
TEAM | W | L | PCT | GB | STRK |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Minnesota | 21 | 15 | .583 | 0 | W2 |
Chicago | 17 | 17 | .500 | 3 | W1 |
Cleveland | 16 | 17 | .485 | 3.5 | L1 |
Kansas City | 12 | 21 | .364 | 7.5 | L1 |
Detroit | 13 | 23 | .361 | 8 | W4 |
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