The White Sox beat up on last-place Cleveland and Boston to win seven games in a row during an eight-game roadtrip last week.
Then the Sox returned home to a rude awakening Friday and were clobbered by the first-place Yankees, 13-6, at U.S. Cellular Field.
Rookie pitcher Carlos Rodon had his worst outing of the season, lasting three-plus innings and surrendering eight runs on eight hits and four walks.
“They worked it and got some pitches that they could handle and did a number on them,” White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. “You have to be able to throw it in the strike zone. You can’t be erratic and when you’re up and you’re behind you’re throwing fastballs and they’re sitting on stuff, that happens.”
Mark Teixeira blasted a grand slam during a five-run second inning, then cranked a two-run homer during a five-run fourth. The homers came from different sides of the plate for the 14th time in Teixeira’s career, which breaks Nick Swisher’s MLB record.
Five White Sox pitchers combined to walk nine batters and throw five wild pitches.
Designated hitter Adam LaRoche came on in relief in the ninth and threw a 1-2-3 inning. His fastball touched 85 mph while his offspeed pitches clocked as low as 50 mph.
“He threw a good inning,” Ventura said. “I knew he was a pitcher, so we had talked about it before if there was a possibility to go in there and looking the way the game was going he was going to get a chance to go in there. He’s a former pitcher. He pitched in the minor leagues so you knew he could handle it.”
LaRoche also went 4 for 5 with an RBI at the plate.
White Sox outfielder J.B. Shuck entered the game off the bench and then left in the seventh inning with a strained left hamstring. He’ll be re-evaluated Saturday.
