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Burnett dominant as Blue Jays win ninth straight

Sep 9, 2008 - 11:17 PM By Gene Chamberlain PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

CHICAGO (Ticker) -- A.J. Burnett wanted no part in the talk of official score-keeping controversies.

The righthander was satisfied with the victory after throwing seven innings of one-hit ball in the Toronto Blue Jays' ninth straight win, a 3-1 triumph Tuesday over the Chicago White Sox in the first game of a day-night doubleheader.

Burnett wasn't about to create a furor like the one which led to the denied protest of an official scorer's hit call in Milwaukee Brewers starter CC Sabathia's one-hitter on August 31.

The lone hit Burnett surrendered was a sixth-inning grounder off Orlando Cabrera's bat that struck off the glove of third baseman Scott Rolen and caromed into left field.

The "hit" call went up from official scorer Don Friske, just like it did when Sabathia dropped a tapper back to the mound.

"It happens," Burnett said. "I wasn't thinking about it. Sure, there were no hits up there, but we had a long way to go even if it's the sixth inning."

"I would say it was a hit," Toronto manager Cito Gaston added.

Burnett (17-10) struck out seven, walked one and hit a batter to win for the seventh time in eight decisions. He left the game after 112 pitches and was replaced to start the eighth by Scott Downs, who allowed a solid single by Jermaine Dye for Chicago's only other hit.

"We're on a good run right now," Burnett said. "I just wanted to come in here and make sure I got the first game of the doubleheader to try to get things off on the right foot and get this little thing we've got going, going."

The ninth straight win is the second longest winning streak in Blue Jays' history, behind only the 11 straight they won from August 27-September 7, 1998.

"I hope it doesn't stop," Gaston said. "I hope we just keep on rolling."

The other thing Toronto has going after Burnett's effort is a streak of 28 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run. Toronto's pitchers have allowed one earned run in the last 40 innings.

"I was pretty good with guys on base," Burnett said. "I'm able to strike guys out so I don't worry about base runners that much. I'm just pitching, mixing everything up, just throwing the change-up and curveball at times. Im just riding it out."

Reliever B.J. Ryan picked up his 28th save despite walking the first two Chicago batters in the ninth.

Toronto broke through in the sixth against White Sox starter Javier Vazquez (11-13) for a 2-0 lead on Lyle Overbay 's two-out,two-run double off the right-field wall. Vernon Wells and Adam Lind had singled with two outs before Overbay's double.

"The way the game was going it didn't seem like we were going to score a lot of runs," Overbay said. "That was a big at-bat. I fouled a couple off, and he kind of made a mistake on that last pitch and I took advantage of it.

"It helped out that it was a 3-2 count and Lindy was able to start running. I don't know if he would have scored otherwise because it kind of hit the wall and came back real hard."

Joe Inglett hit a two-out, RBI single to left in the ninth for an insurance run.

Vazquez lasted six innings, allowing five hits and three walks while striking out five.

Chicago had benefited from the first of two errors by shortstop John McDonald to pull within 2-1 in the bottom of the sixth with an unearned run.

With A. J. Pierzynski on first after a force play, Dye hit a soft bouncer up the middle and McDonald dropped Inglett's toss for an attempted force. A wild pitch moved both runners up, and Pierzynski scored on Jim Thome's sacrifice fly to left.

The game was a makeup of Monday's rained-out contest. Toronto improved to 5-0 against Chicago this season.