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Sosa drives in two key runs as Rangers down White Sox

Aug 30, 2007 - 6:12 AM ARLINGTON, Texas (Ticker) -- Sammy Sosa tied the game in the seventh inning and delivered a sacrifice fly in the 11th to lift the Texas Rangers to a 5-4 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday.

After the White Sox surrendered a 4-3 lead in the seventh and stranded runners at second and third in the ninth when Frank Francisco struck out Danny Richar and Jerry Owens, the Rangers broke through in the 11th.

Ian Kinsler blooped a one-out single to center field off Boone Logan (2-1), a hit that dropped between three players. Michael Young followed with a double down the left field line, advancing Kinsler to third. Logan intentionally walked Marlon Byrd to face Sosa, who worked the count to 3-1 before lining a ball to center field.

Owens made a diving catch while coming in on the ball, but it fell out of his hand as he attempted to stand and make a throw to the plate.

"I got a good pitch to hit," said Sosa. "With the bases loaded you've just got to put the ball in play. He threw me a fastball and I thought I hit it hard enough because I know we've got a pretty good runner at third base."

Wes Littleton (2-1), the sixth pitcher for Texas, tossed a scoreless 11th for the win.

After Chicago starter Jon Garland pitched six effective innings to put himself in position for his first win since June 27, the bullpen blew the 4-3 edge.

Byrd drew a one-out walk in the seventh against Ryan Bukvich, stole second and scored when Sosa - who was hitting for Brad Wilkerson - grounded a double down the right field line. Garland, who entered 0-3 with a 9.51 ERA this month, yielded three runs and eight hits in six innings.

"I left the game with the lead and gave the team a chance, it's hard to ask for more," said Garland. "It seems like whatever can go wrong is. It's the exact opposite of 2005 for us."

Texas starter Kameron Loe was charged with four runs - two earned - and five hits in six innings with two walks and a season high-tying seven strikeouts. Frank Catalanotto led off the bottom of the first with a double and scored two batters later on Young's single to tie the game at 1-1. He left the game after the inning with a sore right groin.

"I don't think it's anything serious," said Catalanotto. "I did it when I hit the double, rounding first base. It will be maybe two or three days and then I should be good."

After the game White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen expressed his total displeasure with the way White Sox recent stretch, which includes losing seven of their last eight and 15 of 18, has gone.

"It's frustrating. Everyone in that room should look in the mirror and be embarrassed" Guillen said. "We've seen this since April. We've got a $100,000,000 payroll and then they don't show it in the field.

"They're killing me, they're killing my family, our coaching staff, our owner and the White Sox fans. Eleven innings and only five hits. ... you're wrong if you think you'll win games like that."

Jim Thome, who has killed the Rangers this season, opened the scoring with an RBI single in the first inning. The lefthanded slugger followed a sacrifice fly by Josh Fields in the third with a run-scoring base hit to left for a 3-1 lead.

Thome, who came into the game having reached base safely in 16 of his last 17 plate appearances against Texas, was 3-for-5 but hit into a double play in the 10th.

After Wilkerson's RBI single cut the Rangers' deficit to 3-2 in the bottom of the third, Loe's throwing error in the fouth allowed Andy Gonzalez to score from second for a 4-2 edge. Texas responded in the bottom half on a leadoff double by Jarrod Saltalamacchia and an RBI single by Ramon Vazquez.