Austin Meadows had a career-high four hits, including a two-run home run, and drove in four runs, and the visiting Tampa Bay Rays continued to match their best start in team history with a 10-5 win against the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday afternoon.
Avisail Garcia had three hits and Brandon Lowe had two, each hitting solo home runs for the Rays, who improved to 9-3 while clinching their fourth consecutive series to start the season.
Rays starter Charlie Morton (2-0) went five innings, allowing two runs, three hits, striking out seven and walking three.
The Rays built a 4-0 lead after two innings, the same as they did in a 5-1 win against the White Sox in the series opener on Monday.
Meadows scored on a sacrifice fly by Lowe in the first for a 1-0 lead. The Rays have outscored their opponents 14-1 in the first inning this season.
Garcia, who played the past 5 1/2 seasons with the White Sox before signing a free-agent contract with the Rays in January, homered with one out in the second inning to make it 2-0. Willy Adames then walked and Meadows lifted a low breaking ball over the fence in right for his third home run of the season and a 4-0 lead.
Lowe hit a solo homer in the third to make it 5-0 before Chicago third baseman Yoan Moncada connected on a two-run blast in the bottom half of the inning to cut the deficit to 5-2.
White Sox starter Ervin Santana made his team debut, and the 36-year-old right-hander was aiming for the 150th win of his 15-year major league career. He lasted just 3 2/3 innings, however, allowing seven runs and seven hits with three walks and one strikeout.
The Rays chased Santana with two more runs in the fourth.
Michael Perez and Adames hit back-to-back doubles to make it 6-2, and Meadows then singled in Adames for a 7-2 lead.
The Rays scored another run on a wild pitch in the eighth before the White Sox added three runs in their half of the eighth.
--Field Level Media