Eloy Jiménez and the Chicago White Sox rally twice to beat the Seattle Mariners 9-6 and take 2 of 3 in the series

SEATTLE — After the first seven Chicago White Sox batters struck out, it looked like it would be a long Wednesday against Seattle Mariners starter Luis Castillo.

But the Sox started making hard contact, with Eloy Jiménez and José Abreu leading the way to pull ahead.

That lead slipped away, but the Sox responded again to beat the Mariners 9-6 in a wild game in front of 15,264 at T-Mobile Park. Jiménez went 3-for-4 with two runs and three RBIs.

The Sox fell in a four-run hole but fought back and led 6-4 in the sixth. After the Mariners tied it by scoring once in the sixth and once in the seventh, the Sox went ahead again in the eighth and held on to take two of three in the series.

The Sox trailed 4-0 in the fourth when Abreu grounded into what initially was ruled an inning-ending double play. But the call was changed after a video review showed Abreu beat the throw to first. Jiménez followed with a two-run homer to left, the team’s first hit.

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The Sox went ahead with four in the sixth. Abreu had an RBI single and Jiménez an RBI double to tie the game. Abreu scored the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly to right by Gavin Sheets. Andrew Vaughn knocked in Jiménez with a double to make it 6-4.

The Mariners scored once in the sixth and tied the game on a solo homer by Eugenio Suárez against reliever Aaron Bummer. It was Suárez’s second homer of the game.

Jiménez singled with one out in the eighth and Leury García ran for him. García stole second and advanced to third when catcher Curt Casali’s throw went into center field.

Sheets hit a high chopper to shortstop J.P. Crawford and García scored to put the Sox ahead 7-6.

Vince Velasquez pitched a perfect eighth. The Sox added two in the ninth, and Liam Hendriks struck out the side in a 1-2-3 ninth for his 31st save.

Although he did not factor in the decision, the Sox got an important member of the rotation back with Michael Kopech’s return from the injured list.

The right-hander, who had been out with a left knee strain, allowed four runs on four hits with four strikeouts and two walks in 3⅔ innings.

Before the game, Sox acting manager Miguel Cairo said Kopech’s pitch count would be around 75, and he exited after throwing 74.

All four runs came in the third. Julio Rodríguez drove in a run with a double over center fielder AJ Pollock’s head. Rodríguez scored on a sacrifice fly and Suárez hit a two-out, two-run homer.

Kopech had been on the IL since Aug. 23 after leaving his start the day before in Kansas City in the first inning. He faced four batters — a walk, a hit batter, an RBI single and another walk — in that outing before exiting.

The Sox have kept tabs on Kopech’s innings all season as he rejoined the rotation after spending most of last season as a reliever, but he didn’t want to think about the rest that came with the IL stint.

“In the moment it’s hard to take it that way because no one wants to go on the IL,” he said Tuesday. “My goal this year was to make every start, and now that hasn’t happened. Necessary for rest, probably so, and it gives me an idea how to come into next season, how to be prepared for 30-plus starts.

“This gives me a lot of information moving forward and I wish I would have been stronger and healthy enough to last through this stint and not have these little bang-ups. But they happen and it’s been part of the game.”

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While Kopech returned, the Sox played without center fielder Luis Robert. He left Tuesday’s 3-0 loss in the fifth with a bruised left hand.

Robert got hit while swinging at the first pitch of his second-inning at-bat. He continued the at-bat after being evaluated by the training staff and did not swing again, eventually struck out looking.

He took two strikes and a ball in the fifth, then swung with one hand and missed to strike out. Adam Engel replaced him.

“He’s doing OK,” Cairo said before Wednesday’s game. “It’s going to be day to day. So we’re going to see how he feels (Thursday in Oakland), and we’re just going to go day to day.”

Robert had been limited recently by left wrist soreness. Asked before the game what’s ailing Robert more, Cairo said: “I think it was a combination of both. Where he got hit and I guess the wrist, it’s still a little sore.”

The banged-up Sox found a way to leave Seattle with an impressive series win.