White Sox smack three homers, but rally falls short in 8-6 loss to Mariners

SEATTLE — The White Sox flashed their second-half power in a late rally against the wild-card-contending Mariners on Wednesday, but couldn't overcome a brutal start from Jonathan Cannon as they fell 8-6 for their third consecutive loss.

Mariners first baseman Josh Naylor, who has killed Sox pitching over the years dating to his time in Cleveland, hit his second two-run home run in as many nights to put the Mariners on the board with a 450-foot blast off the Sox' righty in the first inning.

The Sox got one back the next inning when newcomer first baseman Curtis Mead, who arrived last week via trade, knocked in Luis Robert Jr. with an opposite-field single in his first Chicago at-bat.

Robert saved a run with a diving catch and two Mariners on base in the second inning, robbing Seattle second baseman Cole Young of an RBI hit.

But Seattle wasn’t done with Cannon. He walked the bases loaded for MVP candidate Cal Raleigh, who ripped a two-run single off the right-field wall. Then Julio Rodriguez cleared the bases with a 434-foot, three-run homer off the left-field scoreboard at T-Mobile Park.

After a catcher’s interference call put Naylor on base once again, manager Will Venable ended Cannon’s day with two outs in the second inning. He was charged with seven runs on four hits and three walks.

"I'm definitely in a little bit of a rough patch right now," said Cannon, who has surrendered 19 runs in his last three starts. "I think today was just a lot of falling behind, having to throw hard stuff over the plate to really good hitters."

Left fielder Andrew Benintendi got one back in the third inning with an RBI single scoring Brooks Baldwin, but the Sox couldn’t do any more damage after loading the bases with one out.

Sox bats were quieted by Mariners starter George Kirby after that, while reliever Tyler Alexander limited Seattle to a hit over 4 ⅓ innings.

Mike Tauchman made a game of it off Seattle reliever Eduard Bazardo with a two-run homer in the seventh inning, and Sosa followed up with his second solo homer in as many nights, a 410-foot blast to center that narrowed the gap to 7-5.

Seattle got insurance in the seventh inning with a sac fly from Eugenio Suarez, breathing room that was all that much more important for the Mariners in the ninth when Sox outfielder Michael A. Taylor smashed a solo homer off closer Andres Munoz.

Baldwin and Tauchman walked to bring the potential go-ahead run to the plate with no outs, but Sosa struck out, Benintendi flied out and Robert grounded into a fielder's choice to end the comeback threat.

"To go down six early in the game there, you've got a choice," Venable said. "You can pack it in or fight, and our guys have always chosen to fight. It was great to see the continued effort, continued battle."