Final
White Sox escape early hole, pound Pirates
Jun 19, 2008 - 11:09 PM By Gene Chamberlain PA SportsTicker Contributing WriterCHICAGO (Ticker) -- When the Pittsburgh Pirates scored six unearned runs in the second inning Thursday, the Chicago White Sox barely batted an eyelash.
Instead, the White Sox kept hitting the way they had in the first two games of the series and wiped out the six-run deficit in the next turn at-bat before emerging with a 13-8 victory behind a grand slam and six RBI from Jermaine Dye.
"I think when we're swinging the bats good, no lead is safe," said Dye, who homered twice and also drove in a run with a double. "What happened that inning was one error cost us six runs. We knew we still had to go out there and battle.
"It was still early in the game. You score a couple runs here and there and you're still in it."
A two-out, second-inning throwing error by third baseman Pablo Ozuna allowed the game's first run to score and opened the way for Nate McLouth's three-run double and Freddy Sanchez's two-run homer that gave the Pirates a 6-0 lead.
But the lead did not last long.
Orlando Cabrera's three-run homer capped off a six-run second inning for the White Sox that started with back-to-back doubles by Jim Thome and Dye. RBI singles by Alexei Ramirez and Ozuna contributed to tying the score, and Chicago went on to tag nine earned runs and 11 hits on Pirates starter Phillip Dumatrait (3-4).
The six-run second matched the season high for an inning by the White Sox, and the 6-0 deficit was the largest they've overcome this year.
"Everything started when Jim Thome hit the double," White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said. "A little bit in the dugout, it changed the momentum when Thome started with a double as the first hitter."
Guillen stuck with the starter Gavin Floyd (8-3) after the six-run second. The 25-year-old righthander allowed only two more hits afterwards, including Sanchez's fourth-inning RBI single, which had tied the game at 7-7.
"All the sudden they got six runs on the board and we didn't even know about it," Guillen said. "I told Gavin to just keep in there and we will come back - and thank God we did."
Floyd struck out six, walked two and gave up six hits as he improved to 4-0 with a 3.66 ERA in his last five starts.
"You just try to keep the team in the game, keep the damage to a minimum when something like that (six unearned runs) happens," Floyd said.
With the score tied at 7-7, Thome then gave the White Sox the lead for good with a fifth-inning RBI single off Dumatrait and Chicago went up 9-7 in the sixth when Ramirez scored on Cabrera's sacrifice fly to center.
Dye's seventh-inning grand slam followed a single by A.J. Pierzynski, who has a 13-game hitting streak, and walks to Carlos Quentin and Thome. It was Dye's seventh career grand slam and first since August 30, 2005 against the Texas Rangers. The blast to left on a 2-0 pitch gave Chicago a 13-7 lead.
"Today I was fortunate to get a couple pitches and get in a good hitter's count and was able to drive the ball and come up with some good hits," Dye said. "It was probably one of my better days."
Chicago's win at home was the 12th in its last 14 games and the White Sox swept the series while outscoring Pittsburgh, 37-15.
"They're obviously swinging the bats very well," Pirates manager John Russell said. "Hitting home runs, finding holes, bloop hits, line drives - they all seem to be clicking together. There's not much else you can say.
"They scored a ton of runs against us and you're not going to win many games when you give up that many runs."
Seven different White Sox combined for 10 home runs in the three-game series. Their offense exploded without injured first baseman Paul Konerko, who went on the disabled list at the start of the series due to a rib injury.
"We had to pick things up with Paulie gone and we have guys who can do the job," Guillen said. "We never make excuses. I know Paulie is going crazy right now but the game is about unity and picking each other up and we are doing that right now."
The AL Central-leading White Sox couldn't have picked a better time to start the hitting binge considering they open a three-game crosstown series at Wrigley Field on Friday against the National League Central-leading Chicago Cubs.
"It's going to be a battle tomorrow," White Sox outfielder Nick Swisher said. "The place is going to be electric. We're ready for it."
- ML
FINAL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
PITTSBURGH 0 6 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 8 10 0
CHI WHITE SOX 0 6 1 0 1 1 4 0 x 13 15 1 (FINAL)
BATTERIES: PIT - PHILLIP DUMATRAIT, JOHN GRABOW (6TH), DAMASO MARTE (7TH), SEAN
BURNETT (8TH) AND RAUL CHAVEZ
CHA - GAVIN FLOYD, MATT THORNTON (6TH), OCTAVIO DOTEL
(7TH), SCO
Jun 19 5:02 PM - ML
AT CHI WHITE SOX - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY JASON BAY SCORED NATE MCLOUTH.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, J BAY ON FIRST, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: PITTSBURGH 8
CHI WHITE SOX 13 TOP, 9TH
DUE UP FOR PITTSBURGH: A LAROCHE (.220, 1-FOR-3, BB)
Pirates 8, White Sox 13 Top 9, 0 OutsJun 19 4:59 PM - ML
AT CHI WHITE SOX - SCORING UPDATE
GRAND SLAM BY JERMAINE DYE (14) TO LEFT WITH 0 OUT IN THE
7TH OFF JOHN GRABOW SCORED A.J. PIERZYNSKI, CARLOS QUENTIN AND JIM
THOME.
CURRENT SCORE: PITTSBURGH 7, CHI WHITE SOX 13
DUE UP FOR CHI WHITE SOX: N SWISHER (.231, 1-FOR-3)
Pirates 7, White Sox 13 Bot 7, 0 OutsJun 19 4:28 PM - ML
AT CHI WHITE SOX - SCORING UPDATE
SACRIFICE FLY BY ORLANDO CABRERA SCORED ALEXEI RAMIREZ.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, P OZUNA ON FIRST, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: PITTSBURGH 7
CHI WHITE SOX 9 BOTTOM, 6TH
DUE UP FOR CHI WHITE SOX: A PIERZYNSKI (.307, 1-FOR-3)
Pirates 7, White Sox 9 Bot 6, 0 OutsJun 19 4:10 PM - ML
AT CHI WHITE SOX - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY JIM THOME SCORED A.J. PIERZYNSKI.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, J THOME ON FIRST, C QUENTIN ON SECOND, 0 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: PITTSBURGH 7
CHI WHITE SOX 8 BOTTOM, 5TH
DUE UP FOR CHI WHITE SOX: J DYE (.291, 2-FOR-2, HR, 2 RBI)
Pirates 7, White Sox 8 Bot 5, 0 OutsJun 19 3:45 PM - ML
AT CHI WHITE SOX - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY FREDDY SANCHEZ SCORED NATE MCLOUTH.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, F SANCHEZ ON FIRST, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: PITTSBURGH 7
CHI WHITE SOX 7 TOP, 4TH
DUE UP FOR PITTSBURGH: J BAY (.286, 1-FOR-2)
Pirates 7, White Sox 7 Top 4, 0 OutsJun 19 3:19 PM - ML
AT CHI WHITE SOX - SCORING UPDATE
SOLO HOME RUN BY JERMAINE DYE (13) TO CENTER WITH 1 OUT IN
THE 3RD OFF PHILLIP DUMATRAIT.
CURRENT SCORE: PITTSBURGH 6, CHI WHITE SOX 7
DUE UP FOR CHI WHITE SOX: N SWISHER (.233, 1-FOR-1)
Pirates 6, White Sox 7 Bot 3, 0 OutsJun 19 3:07 PM - ML
AT CHI WHITE SOX - SCORING UPDATE
THREE-RUN HOME RUN BY ORLANDO CABRERA (6) TO LEFT CENTER
WITH 1 OUT IN THE 2ND OFF PHILLIP DUMATRAIT SCORED ALEXEI RAMIREZ AND
PABLO OZUNA.
CURRENT SCORE: PITTSBURGH 6, CHI WHITE SOX 6
DUE UP FOR CHI WHITE SOX: A PIERZYNSKI (.305, 0-FOR-1)
Pirates 6, White Sox 6 Bot 2, 0 OutsJun 19 2:47 PM - ML
AT CHI WHITE SOX - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY PABLO OZUNA SCORED NICK SWISHER.
SITUATION: 3 RUNS IN, P OZUNA ON FIRST, A RAMIREZ ON SECOND, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: PITTSBURGH 6
CHI WHITE SOX 3 BOTTOM, 2ND
DUE UP FOR CHI WHITE SOX: O CABRERA (.272, 0-FOR-1)
Pirates 6, White Sox 3 Bot 2, 0 OutsJun 19 2:46 PM - ML
AT CHI WHITE SOX - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY ALEXEI RAMIREZ SCORED JERMAINE DYE.
SITUATION: 2 RUNS IN, A RAMIREZ ON FIRST, N SWISHER ON SECOND, 0 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: PITTSBURGH 6
CHI WHITE SOX 2 BOTTOM, 2ND
DUE UP FOR CHI WHITE SOX: B ANDERSON (.247, 3 HR, 11 RBI)
Pirates 6, White Sox 2 Bot 2, 0 OutsJun 19 2:40 PM - ML
AT CHI WHITE SOX - SCORING UPDATE
DOUBLE BY JERMAINE DYE SCORED JIM THOME.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, J DYE ON SECOND, 0 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: PITTSBURGH 6
CHI WHITE SOX 1 BOTTOM, 2ND
DUE UP FOR CHI WHITE SOX: N SWISHER (.230, 8 HR, 27 RBI)
Pirates 6, White Sox 1 Bot 2, 0 OutsJun 19 2:34 PM - ML
AT CHI WHITE SOX - SCORING UPDATE
TWO-RUN HOME RUN BY FREDDY SANCHEZ (4) TO LEFT WITH 2 OUT
IN THE 2ND OFF GAVIN FLOYD SCORED NATE MCLOUTH.
CURRENT SCORE: PITTSBURGH 6, CHI WHITE SOX 0
DUE UP FOR PITTSBURGH: J BAY (.283, 0-FOR-1)
Pirates 6, White Sox 0 Top 2, 0 OutsJun 19 2:28 PM - ML
AT CHI WHITE SOX - SCORING UPDATE
DOUBLE BY NATE MCLOUTH SCORED DOUG MIENTKIEWICZ, JACK
WILSON AND RAUL CHAVEZ.
SITUATION: 4 RUNS IN, N MCLOUTH ON SECOND, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: PITTSBURGH 4
CHI WHITE SOX 0 TOP, 2ND
DUE UP FOR PITTSBURGH: F SANCHEZ (.228, 0-FOR-1)
Pirates 4, White Sox 0 Top 2, 0 OutsJun 19 2:26 PM - ML
AT CHI WHITE SOX - SCORING UPDATE
FIELDER'S CHOICE BY RAUL CHAVEZ SCORED ADAM LAROCHE.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, R CHAVEZ ON FIRST, J WILSON ON SECOND, D
MIENTKIEWICZ ON THIRD, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: PITTSBURGH 1
CHI WHITE SOX 0 TOP, 2ND
DUE UP FOR PITTSBURGH: N MCLOUTH (.291, 0-FOR-1)
Pirates 1, White Sox 0 Top 2, 0 OutsJun 19 2:25 PM
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