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Ramirez leads White Sox past Dodgers

May 23, 2011 - 12:02 AM Chicago, IL (Sports Network) - Alexei Ramirez went 4-for-5 with a home run, two doubles and five RBI, carrying the White Sox over the Dodgers, 8-3, to take the three-game interleague set.

A.J. Pierzynski added a solo homer and Juan Pierre had three hits and two runs scored for Chicago, which dropped the series opener in extra innings before winning the last two.

Edwin Jackson (4-5) went 5 2/3 innings to earn the win, getting touched for one run on five hits and two walks while fanning seven.

Jerry Sands went 4-for-4 with a run scored, while Hiroki Kuroda (5-4) gave up six runs -- four earned -- on nine hits in 5 2/3 frames in defeat, Los Angeles' seventh in nine games.

"I think we're going to be fine going forward," said Dodgers manager Don Mattingly.

LA couldn't do much against Jackson, but pushed two runs across against the White Sox bullpen in the seventh to pull within 6-3. The first three hitters reached against Chris Sale, and Jesse Crain came in and issued a one-out walk to Jamey Carroll to force in a run. A Tony Gwynn groundout plated another, and that's all the Dodgers got as Matt Kemp was called out on a close play at first.

Matt Thornton tossed a 1-2-3 eighth, and Chicago got two insurance runs in the home half, when Ramirez knocked in Gordon Beckham and scored on an Adam Dunn base hit.

Thornton stayed on in the ninth and picked up his second save of the year.

"Today we swung the bat very well, and our defense was outstanding." White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said.

Kuroda did not allow a run over 14 2/3 innings in his previous two starts, but gave up three in the first inning Sunday on a pair of long balls. Pierre singled to lead off the game and Ramirez put one into the bullpen beyond the left-field wall. Two outs later, Pierzynski hit his second homer of the year.

Ramirez drove in Beckham in both the second and fourth innings, and Pierre raced home on Paul Konerko's sacrifice fly in the latter frame for a 6-0 cushion.

The Dodgers got on the board in the fifth when James Loney doubled, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on Jay Gibbons' groundout.

Game Notes

LA's Andre Ethier left the game in the fourth inning after suffering toe and back injuries when he ran into the outfield wall chasing down a Pierre fly ball. Ethier went 0-for-2 and has gone 1-for-30 over his last nine games, dropping his batting average from .362 to .307...Dodgers catcher Rod Barajas also left the game early with a wrist injury...In more injury news for the Dodgers, infielder Juan Uribe was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a lower abdominal or hip flexor muscle strain...Jackson, who was 1-5 in his previous six starts, spent the first three seasons of his career with the Dodgers (2003-05)...Chicago is 13-2 in its last 15 interleague games.