Gavin Sheets' grand slam boosts White Sox to 6-1 win over Boston

Gavin Sheets made sure the White Sox are on a different kind of streak.

Sheets hit his first career grand slam in the fifth inning and the Sox beat the Red Sox 6-1 on Saturday in front of an announced crowd of 26,248 at a soggy Guaranteed Rate Field. After cruising through the first four innings, Boston starter Brayan Bello ran into trouble in the fifth, loading the bases and allowing Andrew Vaughn’s two-out game-tying infield single.

Sheets then jumped on Bello’s center-cut 0-1 changeup, hitting it a projected 399 feet with an exit velocity of 105.6 mph to give the Sox their first lead. During the fifth, the Sox sent 11 hitters to the plate.

Paul DeJong added a homer in the seventh for the Sox, who have won two straight for the first time since May 14-15 against Washington. On Friday, they snapped their 14-game skid with a 7-2 victory.

Looking to avoid becoming the first Sox pitcher ever to lose his first six starts, Nick Nastrini went 4 1/ 3 innings, allowing two hits and Bobby Dalbec’s fifth-inning solo home run. Nastrini’s day was shortened by a familiar issue: control. Of his 87 pitches, just 42 were strikes. With his five walks, Nastrini has walked 25 hitters in 24 2/3 innings.

Tanner Banks inherited runners on first and third when he replaced Nastrini, but picked Jarren Duran off first before throwing a pitch for the second out. Banks then struck out pinch-hitter Jamie Westbrook to end the inning.

Boston manager Alex Cora was ejected arguing the call by home plate umpire Alan Porter, even though the pitch appeared to hit the bottom of the strike zone.