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Butler, Andriese help Rays top ChiSox

Jun 13, 2015 - 4:17 AM St. Petersburg, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - Joey Butler went 3-for-5 with two RBI and the Tampa Bay Rays took the opener of a three-game series from the Chicago White Sox, 7-5, on Friday.

Nick Franklin drove in a run and scored twice and Matt Andriese (1-1) allowed just two unearned runs in 5 2/3 innings for the Rays. The rookie had five strikeouts in his first career stint that lasted more than four innings.

Tampa Bay's bullpen nearly squandered a 6-2 lead after Andriese left the game, but Steve Geltz and Jake McGee both pitched perfect innings, with McGee earning his second save.

"Sometimes you're going to have to piece it together, but tonight those runs were more manufactured than what we have done this year," Rays manager Kevin Cash said.

John Danks (3-6) gave up five runs -- three earned -- on eight hits over 5 1/3 innings for Chicago, which was coming off a three-game sweep of the Houston Astros.

"John battled," said Chicago bench coach Mark Parent. "I thought he probably could have pitched in a little more, but it is what it is."

Danks retired the side in order in the first and second innings, but the bottom of the order came through for Tampa Bay to produce the game's first runs. Franklin walked, Mikie Mahtook singled and both runners advanced on Rene Rivera's sacrifice.

Brandon Guyer and Butler hit back-to-back RBI singles for a 2-0 lead.

Chicago got the runs back in the visiting fifth, when Carlos Sanchez walked and scored on Rivera's throwing error, and Adam Eaton came in on Alexei Ramirez's sacrifice fly.

Logan Forsythe restored the lead for Tampa in the bottom half of the fifth with a sac fly to center. Then in the sixth, Rivera, Kevin Kiermaier and Butler drove in a run apiece to highlight a three-run frame.

The White Sox scored three of their own in the top of the seventh to cut their deficit to 6-5. Jose Abreu followed Ramirez's RBI groundout with a two-run homer to right, his 12th long ball of the season.

Franklin made it 7-5 with an RBI single in the bottom of the seventh.

Game Notes

White Sox manager Robin Ventura is missing the series to attend his daughter's college graduation ... Tampa Bay outhit Chicago, 14-9.