White Sox’ Avisail Garcia OK after feeling chest pains, rapid heartbeat

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Avisail Garcia was a late scratch from Monday’s lineup and was taken for a medical examination. He returned during the game and was immediately available to play. | Abbie Parr/Getty Images

ANAHEIM, Calif. – White Sox outfielder Avisail Garcia was examined at an Orange County hospital Monday for minor chest pains and a rapid heartbeat, but he returned to enter the Sox’ 5-3 victory against the Los Angeles Angels in the eighth inning.

Garcia was a late scratch from Monday’s lineup and was taken for a medical examination. He returned during the game and was immediately available to play.

“I was feeling a little pressure in my chest, and my heart was beating so fast,” Garcia said. “It was two days like that, and I was a little nervous. That’s why I went to the hospital to check it out because I have a family. I was a little scared.”

Garcia said his medical condition could have been brought on by medication he was taking for a recent hamstring injury. He returned from the 10-day disabled list Saturday at Seattle.

“I was able to play the game, it just took a little longer,” Garcia said. “I thank God to get here in time to play defense. I like to play the game. Now I feel good because my heart is good and everything is good. I’m not worried about anything.”

There was positive news on the field, too, as the Sox weathered a home run from rookie sensation Shohei Ohtani and took down the Angels for their fifth victory in their last eight games.

There was Jose Abreu’s two RBI, including a first-inning home run, after hitting coach Todd Stevenson referenced Abreu’s refined thought process in the midst of a six-week power outage.

There was Lucas Giolito working out of a bases-loaded jam in the fifth inning after giving up runs in consecutive innings to keep the Angels within reach.

And there was reliever Jayce Fry, who made sure he was not Ohtani’s second victim of the night. The left-hander tied up Ohtani in the eighth inning for a key strikeout to keep the Sox out of danger.

There were pleasant surprises, too, like Leury Garcia, who tripled and scored in the fifth. His sacrifice fly in the sixth brought home the go-ahead run. Leury Garcia was Avisail Garcia’s replacement in right field.

The victory ended the Sox’ six-game losing streak at Angel Stadium. They had lost 14 of their last 15 games in the Angels’ home park, winning in Anaheim for the first time since Aug. 20, 2015.

Giolito, who grew up in nearby Santa Monica, about an hour’s drive west on the rare day without traffic on the 405 freeway, gave up three runs and five hits in six innings. He worked his way around four walks, one intentional, collecting five strikeouts.

“For me, it was a little special because this was my first time pitching in California as a professional,” Giolitto said. “Coming back home, pitching in front of a lot of family and friends, I definitely wanted it to be a good one, and luckily we pulled it out.”

Abreu said he poured over film late Sunday night to get him ready for the Angels series and to get his season restarted. The tactic worked, and it led to a victory that had many contributors.

“Each one of the guys did their part, and things in the end were good for us,” Abreu said through an interpreter. “For us it’s important, in this process, to keep moving forward because all of the young guys we have, it’s important for them to keep working hard.”

It was Abreu’s second home run since June 27 and first on the road since June 5 at Minnesota. His 322nd extra-base hit tied Jermaine Dye for 19th in franchise history, one shy of A.J. Pierzynski.

“He’s been talking about trying to stay to his strength, which is middle of the diamond, away,” manager Rick Renteria said of Abreu. “I think it was a breaking ball he hit, and he put a good swing on it. He’s really been working hard, and his previous at-bats in Seattle were pretty good and I think he’s chipping away and coming back a little bit.”

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