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Patterson's HR in 14th lifts Blue Jays over White Sox

May 29, 2011 - 1:29 AM Toronto, ON (Sports Network) - Corey Patterson homered in the bottom of the 14th inning to lift the Blue Jays over the White Sox, 9-8, in the third contest of a four-game series.

Chicago starter Gavin Floyd (5-5) entered the game in the 13th and tossed a scoreless inning. But he took the loss after Patterson led off the 14th in dramatic fashion. Floyd delivered a 1-2 fastball down the middle of the plate at about knee-level, and Patterson pulled it over the right field fence.

"I got into a great count," said Floyd, "and I made a really bad pitch."

Patterson was mobbed by his teammates at home plate in celebration of the Blue Jays' second consecutive win. He finished 5-for-7 and scored four times, while Jose Bautista went 3-for-4 and hit his 20th home run of the season.

"I was able to get five hits. Some weren't the hardest hit balls, some squeaked through and I was able to get a couple infield hits. But that last one I thought I hit pretty good," said Patterson.

Luis Perez (1-0) recorded the victory for limiting the White Sox to two hits in the final 3 2/3 innings.

While the early innings featured bursts of runs and lead changes, both bullpens kept runs off the board in extras until Floyd allowed the decisive homer.

Toronto's Jason Frasor threw 1 2/3 scoreless frames before Perez took the mound, while Chicago's Chris Sale pitched three shutout innings after taking over in the eighth -- though needed to escape a jam in the ninth. Sergio Santos was then on the mound for two frames.

The Blue Jays didn't have a good scoring opportunity in extra innings, but the White Sox did threaten several times.

Brent Morel began the 11th with a ground-rule double and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt. But after Alexei Ramirez walked, Perez came in and retired Adam Dunn on a pop-up to second. Pinch-hitter Carlos Quentin flied out to right to end the threat.

In the 12th, Alex Rios singled with one away, advanced a base on a groundout and moved to third on a wild pitch. However, he was stranded there after Brent Lillibridge flied out. Chicago failed to generate another quality chance and fell to 2-4 on its 10-game road trip.

In contrast to extra innings, the first seven featured plenty of scoring.

The Blue Jays got on the board in the first inning, when Yunel Escobar walked and Patterson singled in front of Bautista. White Sox starter Edwin Jackson left a pitch up and over the plate, and Bautista crushed it to left for a 3-0 lead.

But the game quickly turned into a back-and-forth battle.

After Lillibridge's two-run homer and Ramirez's RBI single tied the game in the second, Aaron Hill smacked a two-run double in the third to give Toronto a 5-3 edge.

Chicago plated three in the fifth -- Dunn hit an RBI single and A.J. Pierzynski added two-run double -- but Toronto moved back in front in the seventh on Juan Rivera's bases-clearing double off reliever Jesse Crain.

The hit put Toronto up 8-6, but the lead didn't last. Lillibridge tripled and scored on a passed ball in the eighth, and Konerko's RBI double in the ninth tied the game.

The Blue Jays had a chance to win the game in the home half. Escobar was on first when Bautista drove a pitch to the left field corner, but had to stop at third after Juan Pierre quickly retrieved the ball. Rivera hit a tapper toward the left side of the infield, but Sale threw him out at first.

Game Notes

Bautista set a Blue Jays record for least amount of games (44) needed to hit 20 home runs. George Bell had held that record after belting 20 homers in his first 53 games in 1987...In 6 2/3 innings, Jackson allowed six runs -- as many as he gave up in his previous four starts combined...Toronto starter Carlos Villanueva allowed six runs -- five earned -- in five innings...Rivera finished 2-for-6 to extend his hitting streak to 10 games...Pierre went 0-for-6, snapping his 12-game hit streak...Chicago's Omar Vizquel, primarily a shortstop in 23 major league seasons, shifted to first base in the 11th inning. It was the first time he ever played that position...White Sox third baseman Mark Teahen was set to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Charlotte on Saturday. He went on the disabled list with a strained right oblique earlier this month.