The game was decided in the first inning. Tampa Bay jumped ahead 3-0 before Chicago recorded an out, then weathered a late rally to defeat the White Sox 8-5 at Rate Field.
Shane McClanahan earned the victory with five innings of work, allowing two hits and three runs while walking four and striking out four. His ERA stands at 3.95. McClanahan navigated early trouble but settled in after Chicago's three-run third inning.
The Rays struck immediately in the opening frame. Vilade doubled to left, scoring Aranda for the first run. Williamson then hit a sacrifice bunt that turned into a three-run play when Caminero scored and Vilade scored on a throwing error by pitcher Schultz. Tampa Bay extended the lead to 4-0 in the third when Williamson doubled to left, bringing home Vilade again.
Chicago answered with its biggest swing of the night in the bottom of the third. Pereira homered to left center, a 416-foot blast that scored Meidroth and Murakami to cut the deficit to 4-3. The White Sox managed just two more runs until the ninth, when Murakami homered to right, scoring Vargas to make it 8-5.
Tampa Bay extended its winning streak to three games and improved to 8-7. Chicago snapped a losing streak but fell to 6-10.