TAMPA, Fla. (Interstat) — Erick Fedde pitched five effective innings and the Chicago White Sox slugged four home runs in a 6-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday night at George Steinbrenner Field.

Fedde (6-6) allowed four hits and one run while striking out six over five innings. The right-hander retired the side in order in the first and third innings, and he worked out of a two-out jam in the fourth after Junior Caminero’s solo homer. Tyler Schweitzer followed with three scoreless innings of relief, and Trevor Richards closed with a perfect ninth.

Chicago’s power was the difference. Miguel Vargas opened the scoring in the first inning, sending a 1-1 pitch from Nick Martinez over the left-field fence for his 23rd home run. Andrew Benintendi made it 2-0 in the second, driving a ball to right field for his 11th homer of the season.

The White Sox extended their lead in the third. Sam Antonacci singled to center with one out, and Munetaka Murakami followed with a two-run homer to left-center, his 24th of the year, pushing the margin to 4-0. Murakami finished 2 for 4 with two RBIs, and he also scored twice.

Tampa Bay got on the board in the fourth when Caminero drove a 2-1 pitch to center for his 30th home run. The Rays had a chance to add more later in the inning, as Chandler Simpson singled with two outs, but Victor Mesa Jr. lined out to center to end the threat.

Chicago restored its four-run lead in the sixth. Murakami led off with a sharp single to center, and Colson Montgomery followed by hitting a 1-2 pitch over the right-field wall for his 25th home run, making it 6-1. Montgomery went 1 for 4 with two RBIs, and his homer effectively sealed the win.

Martinez (10-3) took the loss, allowing seven hits and six runs in six innings. The right-hander struck out two and walked one, but he was hurt by the long ball. He had allowed only two earned runs across his previous two starts combined. Alex Cook and Chris Roycroft pitched in relief for the Rays, with Cook throwing two scoreless innings and Roycroft adding a perfect eighth.

Fedde, meanwhile, continued a strong stretch. In his previous start against Houston on July 26, he earned a win by allowing three runs in 4 1/3 innings. Against the Rays, he was more efficient, throwing first-pitch strikes to 17 of the 22 batters he faced. He allowed singles to Cedric Mullins in the second, Caminero in the fourth, Hunter Feduccia in the fifth, and Yandy Díaz in the eighth, but he consistently kept Tampa Bay from stringing hits together.

Schweitzer, a left-hander, entered in the sixth and retired eight straight batters before Díaz doubled with one out in the eighth. Jonathan Aranda then lined out sharply to second base, with Chase Meidroth making a throwing error on the play that allowed Díaz to reach third. Caminero walked to put runners on the corners, but Ryan Vilade struck out swinging to end the inning. Schweitzer struck out two in his three innings of work.

Richards needed only 10 pitches to dispatch the Rays in the ninth. He struck out Richie Palacios to end the game after Chandler Simpson and Victor Mesa Jr. had made outs.

The game featured a replay review in the second inning. Rays catcher Drew Romo challenged a called strike, and the call on the field was overturned, resulting in Chandler Simpson being called out on strikes. The play did not lead to a scoring change.

Chicago’s defense also contributed. Colson Montgomery handled several chances at shortstop, including a double play in the fifth inning when Richie Palacios grounded into a force. The White Sox turned two double plays overall and limited Tampa Bay to five hits.

The announced attendance was 20,661, and the game lasted 2 hours, 26 minutes.

The White Sox improved to 58-51 with the win, their second consecutive victory. They had taken the previous two games against the New York Yankees in extra innings, Wednesday’s 6-5 win in 12 innings and Thursday’s 2-1 win in 11 innings. The Rays, who entered with the best record in the American League, fell to 64-45. They had won two straight against Texas before Friday’s loss.

The teams met for the first time this season after Tampa Bay swept a three-game series in Chicago from April 14-16. Friday’s result gave the White Sox a measure of payback, and the four-game series continues Saturday with the same pitching matchup reversed.

Chicago’s power display came against a Rays staff that had allowed three or fewer runs in seven of its previous 10 games. The White Sox, who had scored three runs or fewer in five of their previous seven contests, broke out with eight hits and six runs. Benintendi was 2 for 3 with a homer, an RBI and a walk. Vargas went 1 for 3 with a homer and a walk. Antonacci reached base twice, including a single in the third, and scored twice. Tristan Peters also contributed with a single in the seventh.

Murakami’s home run in the third was the key blow, turning a 2-0 game into a comfortable lead. He took a first-pitch fastball from Martinez and drove it to left-center, scoring Antonacci ahead of him. The blast gave the White Sox their first three-run cushion of the game and forced the Rays into a more aggressive offensive approach.

Caminero’s answer in the fourth was the only offense Tampa Bay could muster against Fedde. The young third baseman has been a bright spot for the Rays all season, and his 30th home run was a solo shot to straightaway center. He also walked in the eighth, but Vilade’s strikeout left him stranded on first.

The Rays did put two runners on base in the eighth, but Schweitzer and the White Sox defense escaped. After Díaz’s double and Aranda’s lineout, Caminero walked. Schweitzer then got Vilade to swing and miss on a breaking ball for the third out. It was the last real threat Tampa Bay generated.

Chicago’s bullpen has been solid in recent games, and Friday was no exception. Schweitzer and Richards combined for four scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out three. The White Sox pitching staff finished with 10 strikeouts, 39 balls and 10 balls in play, according to the game summary, while the Rays staff recorded 10 strikes, 57 balls and 10 balls in play.

The win was Chicago’s third in its last four games, and it continued a positive trend for the team as it heads into a stretch of games against American League East and Central opponents. The White Sox are scheduled to play the Rays again Saturday and Sunday before traveling to Boston for a three-game series starting Tuesday.

Tampa Bay, meanwhile, will look to bounce back in the second game of the series. The Rays have won 10 of their last 13 home games, and they remain in first place in the AL East. Their offense, which had scored 12 runs in a July 21 win over Toronto, was held in check Friday.

The most important sequence of the game came in the third inning, when the White Sox turned a two-run lead into a four-run advantage on Murakami’s homer. That gave Fedde enough support to work deeper into the game and allowed the Chicago bullpen to operate with the luxury of a comfortable margin.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Tampa Bay 7, Chicago White Sox 5, and Interstat’s ELO system had given Tampa Bay a 60.20 percent probability to win. Tampa Bay was installed as a 1.5-run favorite, and the total score of 7 went over the over/under line of 8.