The 5-2 win against the Blue Jays snapped a three-game losing streak for the White Sox and gives them a 10-game lead in the AL Central.

Jumping out Early

It only took five pitches for Chicago to take a 3-0 lead in the first inning on a Jose Abreu home run off Jose Berrios. It was Abreu's eighth home run in August, tied for the league lead. He finished the night 3-for-5 and drove in four.

Berrios' first pitch of the game was smoked by Luis Robert to the deep left with a velocity of 110 MPH off the bat. In all likelihood, it should have been a double, but Robert missed first base and had to turn back midway to second.

It was a mistake that didn't cost Chicago, but had Robert not recognized his mistake and gone back, the entire inning could have turned out differently.

Chicago batted around the order in the first inning, putting four runs on the board and making Berrios throw 33 pitches.

Berrios has had plenty of experience and a lot of success against Chicago. He spent his first six seasons in Minnesota before being traded to Toronto at the end of July. Coming into this year, he was 12-2. This season he is now 0-3.

Sensational Cease

Cease continued to shine for the bottom of Chicago's rotation, striking out seven in seven innings. He's now second in the AL in strikeouts this season with 184.

Cease had great command throughout the night, keeping his pitch count down and him in the game. He got through the first inning with just eight pitches, setting the tone for the night.

He didn't allow his first baserunner until the fourth inning, a two-out Vlad Guerrero Jr. single.

Cease was only in trouble once in the game. Toronto had men on the corners with one out. Cease responded with a strikeout of Josh Palacios and got Santiago Espinal to pop out to Abreu at first base.

 Toronto threatened once more in the eighth down 5-1. After allowing back-to-back singles with one out, reliever Michael Kopech was pulled for closer Liam Hendricks. Kopech had looked good, giving up both hits on good pitches.

Hendricks came in and walked Marcus Semien on four pitches to load the bases with Guerrero Jr. coming to the plate. Hendricks still looked rocky to start against Guerrero. He threw two more pitches out of the zone to start the at-bat but worked back to a full count before getting a double-play ball too short.

Hendricks came back out in the ninth to finish off the five-out save, number 29 on the season for him.

Up Next

A marquee pitching matchup highlights Wednesday's matchup, the third game of the four-game series. Lucas Giolito (9-9) takes the mound for Chicago against Robbie Ray (9-2). Ray and Giolito are third and fourth in the AL in strikeouts respectively.