Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - The Chicago White Sox used home runs from Jose Abreu and Adam Dunn to power past the San Francisco Giants, 7-6, in the finale of a brief two-game set interleague set at U.S. Cellular Field.
Dunn crushed a three-run blast and Abreu smashed a two-run shot, while each scored a pair of runs. Tyler Flowers drove in two and Alejandro De Aza was a homer shy of the cycle for the White Sox, who swept the Giants.
Chris Sale (6-1), who wasn't as sharp as normal, allowed three runs on a season-high eight hits while fanning seven in six-plus frames to pick up a win for the first time in his last three outings.
"Anytime you have a team like that coming in and you can take two games from them it's huge," said Sale.
In his worst start of the season, Tim Hudson (7-3) was tagged for a season- high seven runs and 12 hits in 4 2/3 innings to absorb his first loss since May 6.
"It was frustrating no doubt," said Hudson. "They scored six runs on a day I pitched and we should win those games."
Buster Posey collected two RBI and Gregor Blanco had three hits with an RBI for the Giants, who have dropped a season-high five straight games and eight of their last nine.
The White Sox brought a 4-0 advantage into the fifth before Sale ran into some trouble.
Three consecutive one-out singles put the Giants on the board in the fifth, the last coming from Posey, who plated Blanco from second. Pablo Sandoval's sacrifice fly to center cut the deficit in half.
Dunn answered in the home half with a three-run home run over the right-field fence to put Chicago up 7-2. Conor Gillaspie and Abreu each singled to reach base.
Sale's day was done after a single and walk to start the seventh. Hunter Pence welcomed Jake Petricka with a single to load the bases before Posey's sac fly.
After a Blanco double made it 7-4 in the eighth, Ronald Belisario inherited runners in scoring position with one out. Pence grounded out to plate Brandon Crawford but Posey's slow roller to short ended the inning.
Belisario had runners on the corners with no outs in the ninth after hits from Sandoval and Michael Morse. Following a strikeout, Tyler Colvin hit a fly to left, scoring Sandoval to make it a one-run spread. Ehire Adrianza flied out to center to end the game.
Chicago jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first and doubled it in the fourth.
Abreu crushed a line drive, two-run home run to left to give the White Sox an early lead. It came one batter after Gillaspie doubled to keep the inning alive.
Sale got Sandoval to pop out in the third with the bases loaded to keep the White Sox ahead.
Dunn led off the fourth with a walk, then Dayan Viciedo and De Aza both singled to load the bases. Flowers' line-drive base hit to left scored two to increase Chicago's cushion.
Game Notes
It was Dunn's 452nd career homer, tying him with Carl Yastrzemski for 35th on the all-time home run list ... Abreu (58 games) is the third-fastest player in major league history to reach 20 career home runs. Wally Berger (51) and Mark McGwire (56) did it faster ... It was Belisario's seventh save of the year ... The Giants were 5-for-12 with runners in scoring position ... This was the eighth time in 440 career starts that Hudson did not have a strikeout ... San Francisco fell to 10-3 in Hudson's starts this season.
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