ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Zach Eflin pitched five effective innings in his return from injury and the Tampa Bay Rays hit two more home runs Sunday, beating the slumping Chicago White Sox 4-1 for their 13th consecutive home win to begin the season.
Tampa Bay (19-3) tied the 2009 Los Angeles Dodgers for the second-longest home winning streak to start a season since 1901. The 1907 New York Giants opened with 15 straight wins at home.
Luke Raley and Harold Ramirez went deep for the Rays, who have homered in each of their first 22 games — extending their major league record. Tampa Bay has 48 home runs, second-most in big league history through 22 games behind the 2000 St. Louis Cardinals (52).
Eflin (3-0) allowed one run and three hits in a game that took only 2 hours, 2 minutes. He had been on the injured list with lower back tightness for just more than two weeks.
Yonny Chirinos followed with three perfect innings. Peter Fairbanks then worked a 1-2-3 ninth to get his third save and run his team-record scoreless streak to 29 innings.
Eloy Jiménez had an RBI double for the White Sox, who have lost nine of 11 and are 7-15 overall.
Raley hit a two-run homer during a three-run second against Lucas Giolito (1-2), and Ramirez made it 4-0 on a third-inning solo drive.
Tampa Bay has outscored its opponents 149-61.
Giolito gave up four runs and five hits over seven innings.
Jiménez, who had solo homers in the first two games of the series, made it 4-1 on his double in the fourth.
Chicago center fielder Luis Roberts, who entered 0 for 10 with six strikeouts in the series, singled in the first. He finished 1 for 4 and has four hits in his last 41 at-bats.
WELCOME TO THE SHOW
Rays RHP Taj Bradley, who will make his third major league start Monday night, was asked what his favorite thing is about being a big leaguer and he replied with a smile that it was the clubhouse meals.
“Constant food,” Bradley said. “Take what you like. It's grocery shopping when I come out of there.”
TRAINER'S ROOM
Rays: 1B Yandy Díaz was back in the lineup and had a double and an RBI grounder after leaving Saturday's game due to dehydration. ... RHP Tyler Glasnow (left oblique) will throw in a two-inning simulated game Monday. ... CF Jose Siri (right hamstring) went 1 for 4 with two strikeouts in his second game with Triple-A Durham and will rejoin the Rays on Monday to have his status re-evaluated.
UP NEXT
Rays: Bradley (2-0) will face Houston RHP José Urquidy (1-1).