Drew Thorpe threw six solid innings, helping lead the Chicago White Sox to a 5-3 win over the visiting Colorado Rockies on Friday.
In his fourth career start, Thorpe (2-1) allowed just two runs on two hits, striking out four and walking one after rain delayed the first pitch for more than two hours. Tommy Pham finished 1-for-2 with two RBIs and two walks as Chicago won its second straight.
Brenton Doyle was 2-for-4 with two RBIs for Colorado, which lost its fourth in a row.
Chicago took the lead in the bottom of the second. Andrew Vaughn led off with a double against Colorado starter Dakota Hudson and Paul DeJong followed with a single. With runners on the corners, Nicky Lopez slashed a single to left field, scoring Vaughn.
Thorpe then struck out the side in the top of the third, setting down Jake Cave, Sam Hilliard and Doyle.
Still trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the fifth, Hudson allowed a two-out walk to Pham, but followed with his third strikeout of the game, retiring Andrew Benintendi to end the frame.
Thorpe walked Hilliard with one out in the sixth, the first Colorado baserunner since Doyle led off the game with a single. Doyle then launched his seventh home run of the year — a 426-foot shot to left field – giving Colorado a 2-1 lead.
Hudson then allowed a leadoff double to Luis Robert Jr. in the bottom of the sixth, followed by walks to Eloy Jimenez and Vaughn. With the bases loaded and nobody out, DeJong drove in Robert with an RBI single, tying the score at two and chasing Hudson.
Justin Lawrence, who came in to replace Hudson, got Lopez to fly out. Korey Lee then grounded out to first, scoring Jimenez as Chicago retook the lead, 3-2.
After intentionally walking Gavin Sheets, Pham lined a two-run single to right field, giving the White Sox a 5-2 advantage.
Hudson (2-11) allowed five runs and six hits in five-plus innings. He also walked five and struck out three as he lost his fourth straight start.
Tanner Banks relieved Thorpe for the top of the seventh and allowed Michael Toglia’s ninth homer of the year, a solo shot that cut Colorado’s deficit to 5-3.
In the top of the ninth, Michael Kopech walked Ryan McMahon, but got Brendan Rodgers to hit into a double play on the next pitch. Kopech then retired Toglia on a groundout to end the game, picking up his seventh save.
–Field Level Media