CHICAGO (AP) — Munetaka Murakami homered twice to increase his season total to 35, and the playoff-bound Chicago White Sox beat the Colorado Rockies 6-1 on Friday night as they tried to gain ground in the AL Central.

Already assured at least a wild card, Chicago (83-77) has won five of six. The White Sox entered one game behind division-leading Cleveland (83-76), which played at Kansas City. Chicago has the tiebreaker.

Sean Burke (11-7) allowed one run and four hits in in 5 1/3 innings, and three relievers completed a four-hitter.

Chicago's Colson Montgomery set the season record for strikeouts with 224 when he was set down looking in the fifth inning by Tomoyuki Sugano. Montgomery topped Mark Reynolds’ 223 in 2009.

Colorado has lost 17 of 20 and dropped to a major league-worst 57-103, matching 2023 for the second-most losses in club history behind 119 last year The Rockies are the first team with four straight 100-loss seasons since the 1962-65 New York Mets.

Murakami has the third multi-homer game of his rookie season .Kyle Teel drove in two runs and Sam Antonacci lined three hits for the White Sox.

TJ Rumfield homered for the Rockies.

Sugano (12-12) lost his seventh straight decision, allowing four runs and six hits in 6 2/3 innings.

Colorado LHP José Quintana (2-3, 5.44 ERA) faces one of his former teams Saturday night. The White Sox start RHP Davis Martin (9-7, 3.84).

___

See AP’s full MLB coverage here