Mazara drives in five as Rangers top White Sox, move to .500

Nomar Mazara launched a three-run homer and drove in five runs Thursday, and Brett Nicholas hit a two-run homer and finished with three RBI as the Texas Rangers rallied past the Chicago White Sox 9-8.

The Rangers have won four straight games and 7 of 8 to move back to .500 after 120 games. They are only 1 1/2 games behind the Los Angeles Angels for the second wild-card spot.

Austin Bibens-Dirkx was the winning pitcher after replacing the struggling Tyson Ross in the fifth. Bibens-Dirkx retired all five batters he faced after entering in a 5-4 deficit.

The White Sox scored the game’s first four runs before the Rangers scored four in the third. The first two came on Nicholas’ second homer of the season, and the final two came on a two-out single by Mazara.

The Rangers posted another four-spot in the fifth, highlighted by Mazara’s 16th homer.

How Rangers hitters fared: Patience was a virtue, as a season-high nine walks helped pave the way to another win. ... Nomar Mazara was the start, swatting a three-run homer and driving in five. He has a team-high 82 RBI, which ranks fifth in the league. ... Brett Nicholas got the Rangers started in the third with a two-run homer. He also drove in a run in the seventh by drawing a bases-loaded walk after falling into an 0-2 hole.　　

How Rangers pitchers fared: Tyson Ross struggled again, walking five and allowing five runs (three earned) in 4 1/3 innings, but Austin Bibens-Dirkx picked him up. ... Bibens-Dirkx retired all five batters he faced and stranded the two runners he inherited from Ross in the fifth. ... Matt Bush allowed two runs in the seventh, turning an 8-5 lead into an 8-7 edge. ... Alex Claudio allowed a lead-off homer in the ninth but finished off the game for his sixth save.

This story was originally published August 17, 2017 at 10:59 PM with the headline "Mazara drives in five as Rangers top White Sox, move to .500."