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Contreras tosses five-hitter as White Sox blanks Twins

May 10, 2007 - 10:08 PM MINNEAPOLIS (Ticker) -- Chicago White Sox righthander Jose Contreras stopped Torii Hunter - and just about all of the other Minnesota Twins, too.

Contreras ended Hunter's 23-game hitting streak with a five-hitter Thursday as the White Sox trimmed the Twins, 3-0, to take the rubber game of the three-game series.

Former Twin A.J. Pierzynski drove in a run for the White Sox, who managed just seven singles but put enough of them together for their fourth win in five games following a five-game slide.

"We weren't hitting at all," Chicago manager Ozzie Guillen said. "Now, I think the guys are still struggling at the plate, but they got clutch hitting, good at-bats, and that counts."

Contreras (3-3) was coming off a loss in his last start and has been a bit erratic this season. But he fired the second shutout of his career, allowing one walk while striking out four.

"I threw all the pitches for strikes," Contreras said through an interpreter. "I stayed down in the zone and I give a lot of credit to the defense. ... By throwing strikes, the defense did its job behind me."

The Cuban also shut down Hunter, who had collected at least one hit in every game since April 11. He was batting .372 (35-for-94) during his streak but was hitless in four at-bats vs. Contreras.

Hunter thought he had kept the streak going with a line drive up the middle in the first inning. But with Nick Punto running from first base, Chicago second baseman Tadahito Iguchi went to cover the bag and was in perfect position to snare the liner.

"I thought, 'That's how the day is going to go,'" Hunter said. "I can start another one (Friday) and keep it going. I am not disappointed. I had a good run."

Hunter also struck out in the fourth, flied out in the seventh and popped out in the ninth.

It was the first shutout and complete game for Contreras since he blanked Detroit on August 11, 2006. Minnesota was blanked for the second time in six games on this homestand.

"Contreras had command of the strike zone today," Hunter said. "In the past, you could work him and get him behind a little bit, but today he was ahead of everybody. Outside corner, inside corner, you name it."

The White Sox didn't exactly rough up Twins starter Carlos Silva (2-3), who still has not yielded more than three earned runs in any start this season. But they did enough.

With one out in the first, Pablo Ozuna singled, stole second and scored on a single by Pierzynski, who was traded by Minnesota to San Francisco four years ago.

The trade netted starters Francisco Liriano and Boof Bonser and closer Joe Nathan. One fan at the Metrodome had a placard that read, "Boof. Liriano. Nathan. Thanks A.J."

The Twins wasted a leadoff double by Jason Kubel in the third and fell further behind in the fifth.

Silva plunked Rob Mackowiak, who stole second, moved to third on a groundout and scored on a single by Ryan Sweeney. Juan Uribe singled and Darin Erstad fouled out before Ozuna delivered another hit, making it 3-0.

Sweeney just beat the throw by right fielder Michael Cuddyer, and the close play prompted an argument from Twins manager Ron Gardenhire, who was ejected by plate umpire Derryl Cousins.

"I got my foot in there before he tagged me and I kind of slid around the side," Sweeney said. "Before I took off, (third base coach Razor Shines) was telling me, no matter what, I was going."

That was plenty for Contreras, who worked out of trouble in the eighth after Kubel and light-hitting Luis Rodriguez opened with singles. He got Jason Bartlett on a pop fly, Punto on a comebacker and Jason Tyner on a grounder.

Silva gave up three runs, six hits and a walk in six innings. The Twins have been shut out in all three of his losses.

"When you give your team the opportunity to win the game, it is fine," Silva said. "We didn't hit, but you have to see the way that (Contreras) pitched today. He was throwing some nasty pitches up there."