• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Bullpen helps White Sox get past Rays

May 30, 2012 - 11:40 PM St. Petersburg, FL (Sports Network) - White Sox starter Jose Quintana was ejected with two outs in the fourth inning, but Chicago's vaunted bullpen helped secure the team's eighth straight victory.

The scorching-hot Dayan Viciedo smacked three more hits, drove in a run and scored as the White Sox edged the Tampa Bay Rays, 4-3, in the finale of a three-game set.

Viciedo is 16-for-29 with four homers and 13 RBI in his last seven contests.

After Quintana was tossed for throwing behind Ben Zobrist, the quartet of Nate Jones (3-0), Matt Thornton, Jesse Crain and Addison Reed surrendered two runs on two hits and a walk in 5 1/3 frames.

The build up to the Zobrist incident seemingly stemmed from Tuesday's game when A.J. Pierzynski and Zobrist jawed at one another after Pierzynski slid into second with his spikes high attempting to break up a double play in the second inning. On Wednesday, Pierzynski was hit by a pitch in the third frame. White Sox manager Robin Ventura was also thrown out of the contest.

"I was shocked," said Ventura of Quintana's ejection. "Usually if the guy feels it's intent, he gives the warning and it goes from there...he felt that there was intent and that's what he went with. I didn't agree."

Alex Cobb (2-1) was touched for four runs on nine hits and a walk in five innings for Tampa Bay, which has lost four of its last five. Carlos Pena had a two-run homer while Luke Scott added a solo shot.

"One run, two runs, and then three runs over the course of three games. Regardless of if we're missing people or not, we expect more of ourselves than that," said Rays manager Joe Maddon of the team's offense during the series.

The Rays cut the deficit to 4-3 after plating a pair of runs in the sixth. Jose Molina led off with a single and Pena belted a towering two-run blast to right off of Jones two batters later.

But Tampa Bay was unable to get any closer as Thornton and Crain tossed 2 1/3 innings of no-hit ball before Reed notched his sixth save of the season in the ninth.

In the final frame, Pena worked a leadoff walk and after B.J. Upton popped out, Matt Joyce lined a single to right to put the tying run on second. But Zobrist and Scott registered consecutive pop outs to end the game.

Earlier, an Alex Rios RBI single in the first put the White Sox on the board before Scott cracked an opposite-field solo shot into the front row of seats in left to tie the game at 1-1 in the second.

The White Sox, though, regained the lead with a pair of runs in the third. Rios doubled, Pierzynski was hit by a pitch and Viciedo looped a single to center, which plated Rios. Pierzynski hustled home on Alexei Ramirez's sacrifice fly to right to make it 3-1.

Consecutive two-out doubles by Viciedo and Ramirez allowed the White Sox to put across another run in the fifth, increasing their margin to 4-1.

Game Notes

Quintana allowed just a homer in his 3 2/3 innings of work...Tampa Bay is 4-9 in its last 13 games at Tropicana Field following a 13-1 start at home...The White Sox's 15-game homer streak was snapped...The White Sox were 3-for-13 with runners in scoring position and left 10 men on base while Tampa Bay was 0-for-2 with RISP and stranded two.