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Ramirez's grand slam helps White Sox sink Blue Jays

Apr 26, 2009 - 3:15 AM CHICAGO (AP) -- Ozzie Guillen had been waiting for the right moment to speak to Alexei Ramirez. On Saturday night, he got that chance.

Ramirez hit his fifth grand slam and drove in a career-high five RBIs, and Jermaine Dye added a two-run homer for the Chicago White Sox in a 10-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday night.

"Most of the time when you're going to talk to the players, myself, I wait for them to do something good," said Guillen. "Make sure they don't take it the wrong way because they had a bad game. All of a sudden, (they're) in the principal's office."

Ramirez came into the game with a .167 average and had Guillen concerned after faltering at the plate and in the field in a 14-0 loss to the Blue Jays on Friday. It was Ramirez's first home run of the season, the perfect opportunity of Guillen's meeting.

"As soon as the game was over, I saw him and talked to him about the game," Guillen said. "I was excited for him. Hopefully this is a corner he is going to turn."

Ramirez capped a six-run fifth inning with the slam to left on a 3-2 pitch off Toronto reliever Shawn Camp to put the White Sox up 8-2. He needed just 152 games to reach five grand slams, second fastest in major league history. Rudy York with the Detroit Tigers did it in 139 games in the 1930s, according to Elias Sports Bureau.

Ramirez appreciated Guillen's pep talk.

"I feel good that my coaches, my manager showed confidence in me and I think that's important, I feel good," Ramirez said through a translator.

Paul Konerko put the White Sox ahead with an RBI single in the fifth off Toronto starter Brian Burres. Camp, who replaced Burres with the bases loaded, also gave up an RBI single to Anderson.

White Sox starter Mark Buehrle (3-0) was impressive a night after the Blue Jays' offense pounded out a season-high 14 runs and 21 hits. He allowed two runs and scattered six hits in six innings. He also had his 1,099th career strikeout in the fourth inning to move past Gary Peters into sole possession of fifth place on the White Sox all-time list. He finished the game with four strikeouts.

Buehrle was backed up in the field by second baseman Brent Lillibridge, who made a diving stop on Aaron Hill's ball to end the fourth, and Jerry Owens, who made a diving catch on the left-center warning-track to rob Vernon Wells of extra bases in the fifth.

"You're going to run into some of that once in a while. But if they don't make those plays, it's a different ballgame all the way around," said Toronto manager Cito Gaston.

Toronto gave Burres an early 2-0 lead in the second inning. Jose Bautista had an RBI single and Kevin Millar scored on Marco Scutaro's sacrifice fly.

Burres' lead did not last long as he gave up back-to-back RBI singles to Anderson and Ramirez in the second inning.

Burres (0-1) allowed six runs and seven hits in 4 1-3 innings. He had two strikeouts and four walks.

With rookie left-hander Ricky Romero on the disabled list on Thursday, Burres was called up on Friday from Triple-A Las Vegas. The Blue Jays acquired the 28-year-old left-hander off waivers in February from the Baltimore Orioles, where he was 13-18 with a 5.88 ERA over three seasons.

"If we can hold on until we get some people back, we'll be OK. We're going to have some games like that," Gaston said. "It was almost the reversal of what happened last night to them. Mix-and-match, it builds sometimes but it will catch up with you sometimes too."

Notes: 2B Chris Getz was a late scratch from the White Sox lineup with a bruised right middle finger. Guillen ruled him out of Sunday's game. ... Before the game, Chicago recalled RHP Lance Broadway from Triple-A Charlotte. ... Toronto starting pitcher Jesse Litsch, on the 15-day disabled list with right forearm tightness, threw before Saturday's game and felt a little tightness on his last five throws. He is scheduled to be examined by Dr. James Andrews on Monday. Assistant general manager Alex Anthopoulos said the examine had been previously scheduled and Gaston added that it was precautionary. ... York hit the grand slams in the span of the 1934, 1937 and 1938 season.