Abreu Homers Again As Sox Beat Dodgers, 4-1
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com/AP) — Jose Abreu homered for the second straight game and Tyler Flowers also went deep to lead the Chicago White Sox to a 4-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday night.
Yasiel Puig went 2 for 4 with a double for the Dodgers on the one-year anniversary of his major league debut.
The loss dropped the Dodgers to 4-5 on their current home stand.
Hector Noesi (1-3) ended a stretch of 19 winless starts, winning as a starter for the first time since May 6, 2012 with Seattle, after going 0-12 with a 5.42 ERA. The 27-year-old right-hander allowed a run and five hits over six innings with six strikeouts.
Former Dodgers reliever Ronald Belisario pitched a perfect ninth for his fourth save.
Dan Haren (5-4) gave up four runs on six hits through six innings.
Abreu put Haren, who lost his third consecutive decision, in a 2-0 hole right away with his team-high 17th homer, driving an 0-1 pitch into the lower seats in the left field corner after Gordon Beckham doubled off the top of the fence in left. On Monday, Abreu came off the disabled list and opened the scoring with a two-run shot against Clayton Kershaw before the Dodgers rallied.
Abreu is this year's Cuban rookie sensation. Puig was last year's, and he's been even better so far this season -- even if he is still sometimes a bit maddening. The right fielder was tardy for an earlier-than-usual pregame workout with his teammates.
Unlike opening day, when manager Don Mattingly scratched him from the lineup for being late for batting practice, Puig remained in the third spot in the order and doubled his first time up.
Haren, who has walked no more than two batters in 11 of his 12 starts, issued a leadoff walk to Adam Eaton and Abreu drove him in with a fielder's choice grounder for Chicago's second run. Flowers increased the margin to 3-1 in the fourth with his 27th big league homer -- and his first to the opposite field.
Haren had a chance to help himself out at the plate in the bottom half with runners at the corners. But Beckham robbed him of a hit with a diving catch of his line drive toward the middle of the diamond, and Dee Gordon struck out. Gordon drove in the Dodgers' run with a sacrifice fly in the second.
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