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Buehrle sharp as White Sox edge Devil Rays

Jun 28, 2007 - 3:36 AM ST. PETERSBURG, Florida (Ticker) -- Once again, Tampa Bay Devil Rays fans got a free pizza. But the Chicago White Sox got the victory.

Mark Buehrle pitched seven solid innings and Paul Konerko's two-run double in the eighth inning rallied the White Sox past the Devil Rays, 5-3, Wednesday night.

For the third consecutive night, Devil Rays' pitchers struck out at least 10, earning the home fans a free pizza through a local promotion. However, the White Sox still won their third consecutive road game for the first time this season.

It also marked Chicago's first three-game winning streak since May 20-22.

Buehrle (5-4) scattered nine hits through seven innings, allowing three runs - two earned - with three walks and six strikeouts. He kept the White Sox within striking distance until they rallied late.

"The way I started I had to keep battling," said Buehrle, who recently has been mentioned in trade rumors. "That contract stuff is not going to affect me. Someone said me and Paris Hilton's name has been in the paper the most the past week."

Mike MacDougal and Boone Logan combined to pitch the eighth, and Bobby Jenks tossed the ninth for his 20th save.

"Buehrle is as solid as can be," White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said. "He doesn't let anything bother him. Mentally, he's as good as they are."

Trailing, 3-0, Chicago scored twice in the seventh and three times in the eighth. In the seventh, the White Sox chased starter Andy Sonnanstine with three singles - the same number of hits he had allowed in the first six innings. Chicago pulled within 3-2 when Jim Thome scored on left fielder Carl Crawford's fielding error followed by Alex Cintron's RBI single.

In the eighth, Crawford misplayed Scott Podsednik's line drive into a triple, and Andy Gonzalez followed with an RBI single off Gary Glover (3-3), tying the score, 3-3.

"I got got caught in between," Crawford said. "I was going to slide for it then realized I wasn't going to get it and tried to stop it."

Thome then lofted a high fly ball to right-center field that outfielders Jonny Gomes and Delmon Young lost in the roof, allowing it to fall for a single. After a wild pitch, Konerko doubled down the left field line, scoring Gonzalez and Thome.

"We took advantage of a couple of mistakes," Guillen said. "Hopefully we can continue to play good."

White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen joked after Tuesday night's win, when his team struck out 11 times, that he would buy a ticket to Wednesday's game so he would earn a free pizza.

His club did not let him down, striking out 10 times, giving the White Sox batters 66 strikeouts in their last six games.

"It seems like we weren't getting the breaks earlier, but now we are," Buehrle said. "We keep joking to the hitters, keep striking out 10 times, so we can keep winning."

After Gonzalez struck out in the ninth - Chicago's 10th strikeout - Guillen turned toward the press box, waving his game tickets.

In his fifth major league start, Sonnanstine allowed only six hits in 6 1/3 innings with six strikeouts and no walks. He benefited from Chicago grounding into two double plays.

This season, Sonnanstine has 27 strikeouts and only three walks.

Through six innings against Sonnanstine, the White Sox had only one runner reach second base and none reach third.

"I kept the team in the game and that's what I wanted to do," Sonnanstine said. "I felt real comfortable, felt good tonight."

Led by Podsednik and Thome, who had two hits each, every White Sox starter had at least one hit.

Tampa Bay led, 3-0, after five innings, but it could have been more. The Devil Rays left the bases loaded in the second and third innings and stranded two runners in the fourth.

"We missed those opportunities to beat them when we had them down," Crawford said.

Brendan Harris had three hits, the only Devil Ray with multiple hits. Young singled in the fifth to extend his hitting streak to 12 games, tying his career high.

"We misplayed some balls, and it turned into runs for them," Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said. "You can't point your finger at it and say the pitchers didn't do well, because they did."