Rangers’ bullpen melts down again as White Sox stun Matt Bush

Matt Bush’s issues are not in the past. They’re still very much alive.

The Chicago White Sox scored three times in the ninth inning on four hits against Bush, including a game-winning, two-run double down the first-base line by Melky Cabrera to stun the Texas Rangers 8-7 Friday night at Guaranteed Rate Field.

It’s Bush’s fifth blown save in 15 chances, second-most in the American League.

The White Sox scored a run in the eighth against Alex Claudio to pull to within 7-5 and set up the ninth-inning calamity.

Elvis Andrus and Shin-Soo Choo combined for three, two-out RBIs to help the Rangers build a 7-3 lead in the sixth. But the Rangers left a lot of runners on base, and that eventually burned them.

The Rangers loaded the bases with nobody out in the first inning against White Sox starter Mike Pelfrey but Adrian Beltre struck out and Rougned Odor hit into an inning-ending double play.

In the eighth, the Rangers had the bases loaded with less than two out for the third time. Andrus flew out to shallow left for the second out and Jonathan Lucroy was unable to tag up. Then Nomar Mazara grounded out to end the inning. Texas was 3 for 13 with runners in scoring position.

Jose Abreu and Todd Frazier hit solo homers in the bottom of the first and Frazier added another solo homer in the fourth for Chicago’s early offense but Austin Bibens-Dirkx limited the damage through  5 2/3 innings and left with the lead.

Joey Gallo hit an opposite-field homer in the third and Odor’s two-run blast started a four-run fourth to give Texas a 5-2 lead. Andrus’ two-out single in the sixth scored Carlos Gomez and Napoli to increase the lead to 7-3.

Jose Leclerc pitched 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief following Bibens-Dirkx. The White Sox scored a run on a two-out single by Yolmer Sanchez against Claudio in the eighth.

This story was originally published June 30, 2017 at 11:10 PM with the headline "Rangers’ bullpen melts down again as White Sox stun Matt Bush."