BALTIMORE (AP) — Grayson Rodriguez allowed one hit over six innings, and the AL-best Baltimore Orioles clinched their second consecutive winning season with a 9-0 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Monday night.
Anthony Santander hit his 25th homer for Baltimore (82-49), which has won eight of its last 10 and increased its AL East lead over idle Tampa Bay to 2 1/2 games. The Orioles went 83-79 last year, their first winning season since 2016.
The White Sox (52-80) have lost 11 of 16 and were shut out for the 10th time this season. Baltimore's shutout was its ninth.
Rodriguez (4-3) retired the first 11 batters before Luis Robert Jr. doubled to left. Robert was stranded when Eloy Jiménez grounded out two pitches later, and Chicago wouldn’t get a runner into scoring position the rest of the night.
Korey Lee was the only other White Sox baserunner against Rodriguez, drawing a one-out walk in the sixth.
The 23-year-old rookie right-hander struck out six. Rodriguez is 2-1 with a 2.19 ERA in his last six starts.
Ryan O’Hearn's two-run single in the third inning opened the scoring. Ryan McKenna walked, stole second, moved up to third on a fly ball and scored on Chicago starter Michael Kopech's wild pitch in the fourth. Ryan Mountcastle added an RBI single later in the inning to make it 4-0.
Kopech (5-12) allowed four runs in four innings, striking out five. The right-hander is 2-5 with a 7.34 ERA in nine starts since the All-Star break.
McKenna added a two-run single off Edgar Navarro in the eighth for the Orioles. Santander capped the inning with a three-run shot to right.
Baltimore extended its streak of series without being swept to 82. It is the fifth-longest streak in MLB history and the longest since the St. Louis Cardinals' record 124 in a row from 1942-44.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Orioles: Manager Brandon Hyde said OF Aaron Hicks (back) has run the last couple days and is scheduled to resume baseball activities “pretty soon.” ... OF Austin Hays had a routine day off.
DOUBLE STEAL
Baltimore SS Gunnar Henderson stole second in both the first and the fourth innings. It was Henderson's second multi-steal game of the season and first since June 9 against Kansas City. Seven of Henderson's nine stolen bases have come at home.
UP NEXT
White Sox: Rookie RHP Jesse Scholtens (1-6, 4.15 ERA) faces Baltimore for the first time as the series continues Tuesday.
Orioles: RHP Dean Kremer (12-5, 4.31) is 2-0 with a 1.96 ERA in three starts at Camden Yards in August.
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