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Swisher helps White Sox cap sweep of Giants

May 19, 2008 - 1:28 AM By Ryan Leong PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

SAN FRANCISCO (Ticker) - The Chicago White Sox turned AT&T Park into their own bandbox with four home runs.

Orlando Cabrera homered twice, while Joe Crede and Carlos Quentin also went deep for the White Sox in a 13-8 win over the San Francisco Giants on Sunday afternoon.

The White Sox matched their longest winning streak of the season by posting their fifth straight triumph to complete a 10-game road trip with a 7-3 record.

"It's a nice road trip compared to the last one," White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said of the team's 0-6 road trip earlier in the month. "We go home and at least with a better feeling than the last road trip we had. The last road trip was real bad and coming home, hopefully those guys can continue to play the way they're playing right now."

Cabrera hit a solo shot in the sixth and a two-run blast to left in the seventh. It was the third multi-homer game in Cabrera's career and first since May 30, 2003 when he was with the Montreal Expos.

"I think we just kept putting good at-bats together and hit the ball with people on base - which is important in scoring a lot of runs," Cabrera said.

Crede ended Matt Cain's no-hit bid with a solo shot to left with one out in the fifth inning.

Quentin hit the longest homer of the day, a two-run blast halfway up the bleachers in left field.

"Hitting-wise, it was great because it came when we needed it," Quentin said. "It's something we've been trying to improve on and it was great today. They came back on us and we put some more runs up. Good teams respond well like that and I think we were satisfied with that."

With the game tied at 6-6 in the eighth inning, the White Sox continued on the offensive. Three straight hits by Paul Konerko, Crede, and Alexei Ramirez, loaded the bases with only one out. After a visit by pitching coach Dave Righetti, Walker settled down to strike out Brian Anderson.

But pinch hitter Nick Swisher hit a flare down the left-field line for a double to clear the bases. All three runs scored because left fielder Daniel Ortmeier tripped and fell over the bullpen mound allowing extra time for Ramirez to score from first base.

"When you're sitting and watching, you're into the game but you don't really feel that same emotion as you do if you're in the game," Swisher said. "Coming up in that situation that I did today, I was like 'Man, just find some green somewhere.'

"With a guy like Walker, as hard as he throws and the way his ball is just moving all over the place, I got a first-pitch strike called on me. After that, I was just thinking to myself, 'Don't try and hit it hard, just try and float it somewhere.' I got lucky and found some grass out there."

Walker has allowed seven runs in his last two outings.

"I'm pretty much at a loss for words because I feel like I made some good pitches today," Walker said. "It's extremely frustrating. The pitchers aren't picking up the hitters. The hitters aren't picking up the pitchers. It's truly a team game in that aspect.

"Everything has to be clicking on all cylinders for us to win ballgames. The offense stepped up and we didn't close the door. My last two outings have been atrocious."

Octavio Dotel started the eighth inning in the worst possible fashion, by walking the bases loaded without getting an out. Nick Masset came in from the bullpen to limit the damage to a pair of runs and close Chicago's lead to 9-8.

The White Sox scored four more times in the ninth to seal the win.

Matt Thornton (1-0) picked up his first win of the season and Masset recorded his first major-league save by pitching two perfect innings.

"I'm just glad we won the ballgame after everything's said and done, we got the win, we got the sweep," Masset said. "We really fought. Our bats were really going and we made some key hits in key situations and my job was just come in there and get three outs as quick as possible."

San Francisco has lost five straight to fall a season worst 11 games under .500.

"We think we're better than what our record shows," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "We are the ones who can change this, turn it around. The only thing you can do is keep on moving forward. What's going to be important is how we come out of this; how we handle things."