Ramirez's single in 10th lifts White Sox over Rays

[August 25, 2008]  CHICAGO (AP) -- Alexei Ramirez singled home the winning run in the 10th inning after A.J. Pierzynski's bizarre trip around the bases, and the Chicago White Sox rallied past the Tampa Bay Rays 6-5 on Sunday to avoid a three-game sweep.

Chicago also moved back into first place in the AL Central, a half-game ahead of Minnesota.

Jim Thome hit his 534th homer, Carlos Quentin also connected and the White Sox tied it at 5 in the ninth on pinch-hitter Paul Konerko's two-out single off fill-in closer Dan Wheeler.

Ken Griffey Jr. started the rally with a one-out double.

Rocco Baldelli hit his second homer in three days and Carlos Pena gave Tampa Bay a 5-4 lead with an RBI double in the seventh.

Pierzynski led off the 10th with a single against Jason Hammel (4-4), then tagged up and went to second when center fielder B.J. Upton casually flipped the ball in after catching Quentin's fly. Jermaine Dye sent a grounder toward shortstop, Pierzynski got caught in a rundown and the strange play unfolded.

Pierzynski, who always seems to be in the middle of a ruckus, appeared to get tagged out after falling -- but second base umpire Doug Eddings signaled safe instead.

Eddings called interference on Rays third baseman Willy Aybar, apparently ruling that he bumped the runner after a throw toward second. Replays showed that Pierzynski initiated the contact, hitting Aybar with his left elbow before falling to the ground.

Tampa Bay infielders and manager Joe Maddon argued vehemently to no avail, and Pierzynski was awarded third. Hammel intentionally walked Thome before Ramirez singled to right.

That made a winner of Bobby Jenks (3-0), who pitched two scoreless innings.

Eddings and Pierzynski were at the center of another disputed call in the 2005 AL championship series between Chicago and the Los Angeles Angels.

Eddings was behind the plate when he called strike three on Pierzynski -- but not the third out -- in the ninth inning of Game 2. In a weird scene, Eddings ruled the two-out pitch had bounced in the dirt, and Pierzynski hustled safely to first as the Angels ran off the field. Moments later, the White Sox rallied to win.

In this one, the AL East-leading Rays seemed to be on their way to their 12th win in 15 games before Konerko's single to left on a 2-2 pitch from Wheeler, subbing for injured closer Troy Percival.

The throw home from Ben Zobrist arrived in plenty of time but bounced off catcher Shawn Riggans, allowing pinch-runner Brian Anderson to score the tying run.

The blown save was Wheeler's second in 10 chances and denied Andy Sonnanstine his 14th win, which would have tied the club record set by Rolando Arrojo in 1998.

Thome and Quentin hit two-run homers in the fourth to give the White Sox a 4-3 lead. Thome's shot tied Hall of Famer Jimmie Foxx for 15th on the career list. Quentin leads the majors with 36 this season.

Chicago's bullpen blew late leads in the first two games of the series. This time, poor defense was the problem.

Baldelli, who missed the first 116 games of the season with a muscular disorder, hit a two-run shot in the first after first baseman Nick Swisher booted Pena's grounder for an error, the first of several gaffes.

Pierzynski's passed ball with two outs in the second allowed Jason Bartlett to reach on a strikeout, putting runners on first and third before Akinori Iwamura's run-scoring single.

The Rays tied it 4-all in the sixth when shortstop Orlando Cabrera booted Aybar's grounder for an error, allowing Pena to score.

Chicago's Mark Buehrle allowed five runs -- two earned -- in 6 2-3 innings.

Notes: White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said D.J. Carrasco or Matt Thornton will pitch Monday at Baltimore when a game that was suspended April 28 resumes. The game was tied at 3 after 11 innings. Clayton Richard is scheduled to start the regularly scheduled game afterward. ... In the fourth, Ramirez backhanded Gabe Gross' grounder to second and, with his glove, flipped to second to start a neat, inning-ending double play. ... Percival, on the 15-day disabled list with cartilage damage in his right knee, is scheduled to play catch Monday. ... Aybar, filling in for injured All-Star Evan Longoria, made a nice play in the third when he dove to his right to grab Juan Uribe's liner. Longoria will have his broken right wrist X-rayed on Monday, Maddon said.

[Associated Press; By ANDREW SELIGMAN]

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