• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Danks tosses gem, Thome homers as White Sox rout Rays

Apr 20, 2008 - 9:52 PM ST. PETERSBURG, Florida (Ticker) -- John Danks threw seven impressive innings and Jim Thome homered as the Chicago White Sox posted a 6-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday.

Jermaine Dye had an RBI triple for Chicago, which broke open the game with a four-run fifth.

Danks (2-1) followed up his the best start of his career by allowing just three hits, and finished with eight strikeouts. The lefthander, who held Oakland to five hits in 7 2/3 innings Tuesday, did not walk a batter.

"My goal each time out is to throw a quality start," Danks said. "I had a good game today and I have to keep working hard between starts. I'm just trying to keep us in the game and throw strikes. Today was the best balls-to-strikes ratio I've had in the big leagues. That's the goal."

"When this kid is on top of his game he's going to be pretty good," White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said. "I asked him a couple of times to be more consistent and he showed me that by giving us a chance to win. When he was behind in the count and throws a breaking ball for a strike - that's confidence."

Boone Logan finished off the four-hitter with two scoreless innings.

Danks got plenty of support from Thome, who snapped out of a 3-for-17 slump in a big way against Edwin Jackson (2-2), who has posted two straight sub-par performances since opening the season with two wins.

Thome homered in the first and recorded an RBI single in the third and fifth inning for Chicago, which was held to just three hits by Andy Sonnanstine in a 5-0 loss on Saturday.

"We got Sonnanstined," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "Their guy was really good, in command of everything he was throwing. I tip my cap to him."

Thome wasted little time giving the White Sox the early lead as he drilled a 2-2 offering from Jackson over the right field wall for his fifth home run of the season.

"Awesome," Guillen said about Thome's 512th homer, which tied him with Hall of Famers Ernie Banks and Eddie Mathews for 19th on the all-time list. "Jim can carry a ballclub and you just have to be patient. Some people were kind of worried what James can do and we won a couple of games on this trip because of him."

Thome continued his big day by drilling a single back through the box that nearly hit Jackson, which plated Nick Swisher for a 3-0 lead in the fifth.

Dye followed with a two-run triple to left-center field to stretch the lead to 5-0. Dye's triple chased Jackson, who allowed six runs and seven hits in 4 1/3 innings with four strikeouts and three walks.

A.J. Pierzynski slapped a single off Gary Glover through a drawn-in infield for a 6-0 lead, giving Danks more than enough support.

"Same thing as the last time," Jackson said. "Behind in the count. Just one of those days where you feel good and don't get the job done. You have to have a short-term memory and get ready for the next start. I just haven't made the pitches I needed to."