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Torres pitches White Sox past Cubs

Sep 3, 2009 - 10:53 PM By RICK GANO AP Sports Writer

CHICAGO(AP) -- Dewayne Wise just added another play to his collection of important defensive gems.

Wise cut down Jake Fox at the plate to keep the tying run from scoring in the seventh and rookie Carlos Torres pitched seven crisp innings to lead the White Sox to a 5-0 win over the Cubs in a meeting of city rivals whose seasons have gone awry.

"At that point in the game I knew they were going to send him and I just told myself to field the ball cleanly and come out with the throw and throw it through A.J. (Pierzynski)," said Wise, who also made a leaping, highlight-reel catch to save Mark Buehrle's perfect game in July.

Torres (1-0), recalled from the minors two days ago, earned his first major league win in his third career start and got the obligatory beer shower after the game. He allowed five hits, walked none and struck out six.

"Great atmosphere," Torres said. "Cubs fans and White Sox fans screaming and shouting. It was a great atmosphere to play in."

Fox tried to score from second on Jeff Baker's single to right field, but Wise delivered the ball to Pierzynski, who was able to catch it, reach back and tag the sliding Fox for the second out.

Baker took second on the play, but Torres fanned Koyie Hill to end the threat.

"A great defensive play, aggressive on their part and a bang-bang play at the plate," Pierzynski said. "It took a perfect play and we executed it.

"I know Dewayne can really throw and when he let it go, I was just hoping it didn't sink too much. ... I was just trying to make sure I caught it and got the ball to the back side of the plate as fast as possible."

The Cubs' defense wasn't so good, leading to two White Sox runs in the eighth. Gordon Beckham scored from first when left fielder Alfonso Soriano missed Pierzynski's fly for an error. Paul Konerko followed with an RBI single to make it 3-0 and chase Ryan Dempster (8-8).

Soriano had a cortisone injection in his sore left knee Sunday and had missed three games earlier in the week. After his miscue, what appeared to be a T-shirt came flying out of the left-field bleachers. Soriano also was booed loudly when he struck out to end the game.

"I just slipped. When I slipped, I lost my balance," Soriano said of the play. "I'm not making excuses. It (the knee) is good. I had the ball all the way. When I got ready to catch the ball, that's when I slipped."

Soriano and teammate Milton Bradley should be used to the boos by now. They've heard a lot of them this season.

"You get hits and they cheer you and you strike out and they boo. The fans are frustrated, too," Soriano said.

The makeup of a June 16 rainout featured two defending division champs whose playoff hopes have faded greatly. It was the latest makeup for an interleague game since Kansas City played Arizona on Sept. 4, 2003.

The Cubs remained 10 1/2 games behind the Cardinals in the NL Central and six games out of the wild card with four teams in front of them. After a disastrous 2-8 road trip to Boston, New York and Minneapolis, the White Sox returned to town in third, and stayed seven games back of the Tigers in the AL Central.

"I never thought we were going to collapse in two weeks the way that we did because if you look at the lineup every day, it's a pretty good lineup," White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said.

Chris Getz singled with two outs in the second and advanced when Fox - subbing at first base for Derrek Lee - dropped a pickoff attempt from Dempster for an error. Alexei Ramirez then delivered an RBI single into left field.

"It was a play that's got to be made and it was very costly," said Fox, who has played five different positions this year.

On the play at the plate later in the game, Fox kept running when he was waved around.

"I couldn't see how the play was developing because it was behind me, so I was just running as hard as I could expecting to score until he stopped me," Fox said. "That's what you are taught to do."

NOTES: Cubs HR and RBI leader Lee was scratched, missing the game to be with his wife, who gave birth to their second child early Thursday morning. ... The White Sox went 4-2 against the Cubs this season and lead the overall series that began in 1997, 37-35.