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Ramirez, Cabrera help White Sox edge Indians

Jul 2, 2008 - 5:08 AM By Gene Chamberlain PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

CHICAGO (Ticker) -- Orlando Cabrera hit walk-off single in the 10th inning to lead the Chicago White Sox to a 3-2 over the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday.

With Chicago trailing 2-1, Alexei Ramirez provided last gasp heroics with two-out, game-tying home run to left field off closer Joe Borowski (1-3) that barely eluded a leaping Ben Francisco.

Rookie Dewayne Wise followed with a pinch-hit single and then stole second. Cabrera singled to center and Wise beat center fielder Grady Sizemore's throw to the plate with a head-first slide that gave the White Sox their sixth straight win.

"It gets the clubhouse pumped up every time you come back, especially that type of game against one of the best closers in the game, it's always nice," White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said.

"Right now, Wise is the best guy we have off the bench to run a little bit and to help us. We have good ballplayers out there starting. They're not super fast. That's why we have to have good people on the bench who can run, so we don't have to wait for home runs to win games."

Cabrera's single was the fifth walk-off hit for Chicago this season.

"I think I just got a good pitch to hit today," Cabrera said. "Everybody did their part. The pitching was great and you just get lucky sometime, you get a good pitch and you put on a good swing and the ball fell right."

The home run was the sixth for Ramirez. The Cuban-born rookie came into the contest with a .360 average over the past 27 games.

"I just tried to make contact," Ramirez said. "I knew I hit it hard, but I hit it so high that I wasn't even sure. So I just kept running until he jumped and landed and I knew for sure."

Ramirez's .295 batting average is the best among American League rookies.

"The Cuban missile is making a lot of adjustments right away," Guillen said. "You can pitch him a different way in the zone late in the game, but he'll somehow, some way look for his pitch to drive. He's got big RBI for us all year long."

Casey Blake's solo home run in the top of the 10th off Chicago reliever Matt Thornton had given the Indians a 2-1 lead, but it wasn't enough to help them avoid a fourth straight loss.

"It hurts. Maybe kind of doing it in that fashion stings a little more, but they're having a pretty special year," Blake said. "It kind of reminds me of how we were playing last year. It seems like we found a way to win all the time."

Adam Russell (1-0) got the win with by getting the final out with runners on first and second in the 10th.

The game began as a pitchers' duel between two of the best lefthanders in the American League, but both Cleveland's Cliff Lee and Chicago's John Danks were long gone by the time it was decided. Lee came into the game second in the AL in ERA at 2.34 with Danks was third at 2.62.

Danks matched the longest outing of his career, allowing one run and four hits in eight innings with a career-high tying eight strikeouts and one walk.

Meanwhile, Lee gave a run and six hits in eight innings with three strikeouts and one walk.

The White Sox took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Jim Thome and Crede hit one-out singles and Swisher walked before Ramirez hit a sacrifice fly to center.

The Indians tied it in the sixth when Kelly Shoppach led off the frame by ripping Danks' first pitch to left for his sixth home run of the season.

"Sitting on the bench, I didn't think we were out of it after their home run (in the 10th)," Danks said. "It was very dramatic."