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Pierzynski, White Sox slam Cubs

May 20, 2007 - 11:52 PM CHICAGO (Ticker) -- One day after the Chicago Cubs used a big inning en route to a victory, the Chicago White Sox turned the tables.

A.J. Pierzynski had a grand slam in a seven-run seventh inning to help the White Sox defeat the Cubs, 10-6, and avoid a three-game sweep on Sunday.

The White Sox borrowed the script from the Cubs' 11-6 victory on Saturday, when Derrek Lee hit a pinch-hit grand slam in a six-run eighth inning.

"It was nice to win especially with Carlos (Zambrano) out there, he is real good," Pierzynski said. "With Carlos out there, all the pressure was on us today."

Seeking to avert the sweep, the White Sox appeared up against it against Zambrano, sending rookie Nick Masset to the mound for his first major league start after 11 relief appearances this season.

The righthander, who just turned 25 on Thursday, had only pitched more than two innings twice this season, but he went a solid 5 2/3 innings, allowing two runs and three hits. Masset (2-1) struck out three and walked three.

"I was just trying to be relaxed out there and not try and put too much pressure on myself," Masset said. "I just tried to attack them by getting first-pitch strikes over the plate and get ahead."

Masset found immediate trouble in the first inning, issuing a pair of walks and an RBI single to Daryle Ward to give the Cubs a 1-0 lead. But he did not allow another run until the sixth and his teammates rewarded his efforts.

"This kid gave me everything he had today, he was great," White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said. "I don't know what we would have done if he didn't pitch as well as he did."

Zambrano was coming off his best outing of the season, holding the Mets to a run and six hits in eight innings. But following a season of inconsistent efforts, the Cubs' ace could not follow that up against the White Sox.

"I thought everything was good until the last inning (seventh)," Zambrano said. "After two outs I just had a loss of control but I felt good the whole game."

With the Cubs trailing, 3-2, after six innings, Zambrano (4-4) could not keep the deficit at one run. The White Sox broke it open in the seventh, with all the damage coming with two out.

After retiring the first two batters of the frame, Zambrano hit Uribe, walked pinch hitter Jim Thome and yielded an RBI single to Darin Erstad for a 4-2 lead.

Zambrano allowed a walk to Tadahito Iguchi to load the bases and end his day. He gave up seven runs and six hits, striking out five and walking four in 6 2/3 innings.

"I was trying to be too cute to Thome," Zambrano said. "I know that he just came from the DL and he isn't the Thome everyone knows. It was a mistake not to go right at him and that was the key to the game."

Neal Cotts came on and served up a grand slam to Pierzynski that pushed the White Sox's cushion to 8-2. It was the eighth homer of the season and sixth career slam for Pierzynski.

"I just threw two pitches to A.J., and one was right down the middle and he hit it pretty hard," Cotts said. "The pitch was down but it came right back over the middle of the plate."

The White Sox continued the onslaught as Dye walked, Konerko doubled and Mackowiak delivered a two-run single to cap the seven-run inning for a 10-2 lead.

The Cubs did make some noise in the eighth off David Aardsma, scoring four runs to close within 10-6.

"The guys in the bullpen better look at themselves in the mirror," Guillen said. "If they don't get it together I will get it together for them. We have kids in the minor leagues that are throwing the ball well; we will make changes if we have to."

Aramis Ramirez had the big blow, a three-run homer to close the deficit to 10-5, and Jacque Jones later added a run-scoring single as heavy rain pelted Wrigley Field.

"It's too bad we didn't win today and get the sweep," Ramirez said. "We always go into every series trying to win it, and we won the series."

The White Sox scored twice in the second inning. After Paul Konerko drew a one-out walk, Rob Mackowiak and Joe Crede singled to load the bases for Juan Uribe, who drove in two runs with a base hit to right field for a 2-1 lead.

Jermaine Dye extended the lead to 3-1 with a solo home run in the third, his ninth of the season and third in four games.

The Cubs cut the deficit to 3-2 in the sixth on a two-out triple by Alfonso Soriano. Andrew Sisco relieved Masset one batter later and uncorked a wild pitch to bring in Soriano with the second run.