White Sox hit three homers, tie Indians

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Adam LaRoche, Brett Lawrie and minor leaguer Jason Coats each hit solo home runs, and catcher Hector Sanchez hit a two-run single in the ninth inning to give the White Sox a 5-5 tie with the Cleveland Indians in their second Cactus League game Friday.

Lawrie, who walked twice in the Sox spring opener Thursday, also singled. The Sox acquired him in a trade with the Oakland A’s during the offseason.

LaRoche, a disappointment in his first year with the Sox in 2015, made good contact three times, flying out to the warning track in left field his second time up. He homered to right against left-hander Ross Detwiler.

“He’s got a little different snap to him as far as swinging the bat,” manager Robin Ventura said of LaRoche, who hit 12 homers in 2015. “It looks a lot better. I know he’s in great shape, and the ball is coming off the bat a little better than it has. For now, it’s good to see him, especially against a lefty, get something like that.”

Ventura said LaRoche, who played in his first Cactus League game, has looked better during the first week or so of camp.

“On the backfields, seeing him swing the bat, it looks different. It’s got a little more life to it. When a guy is swinging the bat, you can see it.”

Jacob Turner pitched two scoreless innings, making his first start since recovering from elbow and shoulder injuries. Turner’s fastball touched 94 mph.

“I thought he did great,” Ventura said. “It was the first time to really see him extended, get out there and get a couple of innings in. It was nice to see. It had some life on it, location and all that stuff. When you see a guy for a first time, you see him out there, composure and everything else, he looked great.”

Ventura did not rule out Turner winning a spot in the rotation.

“There’s some jobs to be earned,’’ he said.

On deck

White Sox at Royals, Surprise, 2:05 p.m. (Central), whitesox.com, Carson Fulmer vs. Ian Kennedy. Jose Quintana starts a B game against the Cincinnati Reds in Goodyear.