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Floyd handcuffs Orioles as White Sox roll

Aug 27, 2008 - 4:59 AM BALTIMORE (Ticker) -- Don't tell Gavin Floyd you can't go home again.

Floyd returned home and threw eight terrific innings and Nick Swisher's homer highlighted an offensive barrage, as the Chicago White Sox cruised to an 8-3 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday.

Orlando Cabrera had four hits and two RBI for the White Sox, who scored in each of the first four innings and pounded out 16 hits.

Carlos Quentin, Jermaine Dye, Ken Griffey Jr. and Alexei Ramirez also drove in runs for Chicago (76-56), which has won 11 of 14 and leads Minnesota (74-58) by two games in the American League Central. The Twins lost to Seattle on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Luke Scott collected two RBI for Baltimore, which has lost five straight. The Orioles were stymied by the Annapolis, Maryland native Floyd (14-6), who allowed two runs and four hits with four strikeouts and one walk and improved to 4-0 in his last seven starts.

"(It) was nice spending some time with the family the past couple of days," said Floyd, who picked up his first win in two starts against his hometown team. The 24-year-old went to high school less than six miles from Camden Yards.

"I feel comfortable with pretty much everything. I just try to get out there, stay focused and make good pitches to get people out. (The 14 wins) are nice, but I'm just trying to finish the season strong, go out there and do my job. I'm 0-0 every time I start in my mind."

The righthander was staked to a 2-0 lead before he even took the mound, as the White Sox jumped all over lefthander Brian Burres (7-8). Cabrera led off the game with a single and Swisher blasted Burres' first offering over the left field wall for his 22nd homer of the season.

"We did well today, up and down the lineup," Swisher said. "It was another team win - Orlando, Carlos did what he's doing all year, Griff got a couple hit. It was the whole team."

Chicago continued to hammer Burres in the second, as Joe Crede singled and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Cabrera. Ramirez plated a run with a sacrifice fly in the third for a four-run bulge.

In the fourth, Toby Hall singled and scored on Cabrera's triple to center for a 5-0 advantage. Two batters later, Quentin plated Cabrera with a double for his 100th RBI of the season. Dye's RBI two-base hit in the sixth made it 7-0.

That was more than enough support for Floyd, who retired the first nine hitters he faced before Brian Roberts led off the fourth with a single and later scored on a double by Nick Markakis. Floyd's only other mistake came in the seventh, when he allowed an RBI single by Scott.

Floyd gave the bullpen a rest after the teams were forced to finish off a suspended game prior to Tuesday's opener.

"(Floyd) was outstanding," White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said. "Yesterday, we used a lot of guys. He gave us an opportunity to rest and that helps us for the next couple of days with the bullpen."

Griffey drove in a run with a single in the eighth to make it 8-2. Scott capped the scoring with a run-scoring base hit in the ninth.

Burres, who was recalled from Class AAA Norfolk prior to the game, was rocked for six runs - five earned - and 10 hits in five innings.

"Gavin pitched a great game," Orioles manager Dave Trembley said.

"He had real good command of his off-speed stuff. Kept the ball down. I only think he got a couple fastballs up. The one to Nicky that he got the first RBI on was probably a fastball that he elevated. He had really good breaking stuff. Good location. Tempo was good. Burres was just the opposite."