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Pierzynski homers in 10th as White Sox top Tribe

Jul 3, 2008 - 6:34 AM PA Gene Chamberlain PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

CHICAGO (Ticker) -- When A.J. Pierzynski stepped into the batter's box leading off the 10th inning against the Cleveland Indians Monday night, Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen hollered for him to think single rather than swing for the fences.

Pierzynski had other ideas - his second home run of the game - a shot to left off reliever Masa Kobayashi that gave the White Sox a 6-5 victory, their seventh straight win and second 10th-inning win in a row.

"I was just looking for a pitch up, basically, a pitch that I could hit and drive," Pierzynski said. "Ozzie was yelling at me to not try to be a hero and hit a single. When I hit it, I was (thinking) like, it's got a chance. But I didn't know it was going to make it."

As Pierzynski rounded the bases, a storm roared in and it stirred memories of Robert Redford as Roy Hobbs in "The Natural."

"I don't know if it was that dramatic of a home run, but it's always fun whenever you hit a home run," Pierzynski said. "It's a good feeling to see all your teammates there and how excited everyone is, especially with the way the rain was about to start pouring."

The sixth White Sox walk-off hit of the season overshadowed a spectacular night by Cleveland's Grady Sizemore, who had homered off Scott Linebrink in the top of the ninth to tie the score, 5-5. Sizemore's 20th and 21st home runs of the season gave him the American League home run lead.

"You can't make mistakes to him," Linebrink said. "You certainly don't want to put him on the bases to lead off an inning in a close ballgame like that because you put him on the bases the next thing you know he's on second in scoring position.

"You want to be aggressive and go after him. It was a change-up up in the zone and he hit it. I've got to make a better pitch right there."

Linebrink faced Sizemore because White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen held out closer Bobby Jenks for the third straight game. Previously, he had said Jenks had been overworked lately, but Guillen said after the game that Jenks is suffering soreness in his upper back rib area on his left (non-throwing) side.

"We're going to take it day to day with him and see how he is tomorrow," Guillen said. "If it's the right side we would be worried."

Reliever Adam Russell (2-0) pitched a scoreless 10th for his second victory in two nights.

Starting pitchers Jose Contreras and C.C. Sabathia had settled into a dual after shaky starts, but Sizemore's sixth-inning, 415-foot solo bomb to right off Contreras gave Cleveland a 4-3 lead.

The White Sox gained a 5-4 lead in the eighth on Brian Anderson 's one-out line drive to the wall in left-center, scoring both Pablo Ozuna, who'd reached on third baseman Casey Blake's throwing error, and Alexei Ramirez, who singled off Blake's glove.

Contreras left after giving up six hits, four walks and striking out six. Three of the four runs he allowed were unearned.

With trade rumors swirling around Sabathia, he went eight innings, giving up seven hits and four earned runs while walking two and striking out five. Sabathia gave up home runs to Jermaine Dye and Pierzynski in the first inning. He then allowed Pablo Ozuna's double and Nick Swisher's RBI single in the second for a 3-2 Chicago lead before giving up only one hit over the next four innings.

"Guys don't hit his slider and his change-up very well, so you've got to try get a fastball," Pierzynski said. 'Lucky for us he made a couple mistakes early in the game and we got on him.

"But he's still C.C. He still throws 98. For my money, I told (hitting coach Greg) Walker tonight he's got the best lefthanded slider I've seen in a long time so he's still as good as they come. If he stays in Cleveland, they're going to be happy to have him and if he goes somewhere else whoever gets him is going to be happy to have a great pitcher."

Chicago took a 3-2 lead, the Indians tied it in the fifth when Sizemore walked, stole second and came around to score on Jamey Carroll's double to right. Sizemore, who stole his 20th base to become baseball's first 20-20 player this year, also singled and scored the game's first run on Jhonny Peralta's single.

Cleveland tied it at 2-2 in the second when Ryan Garko singled, moved up on Ozuna's error at third base and Sizemore's flyout, then scored on Carroll's ground out to short.

"It's obviously disappointing," Indians manager Eric Wedge said. "We don't like ever coming in here and have things play out the way they have. But after a tough loss last night the guys showed a lot of fight today.

"We're one hit away and one play away, but when you're playing a good team like Chicago that's not enough."