Cabrera has go-ahead RBI in 13th for White Sox

[July 09, 2008]  KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Orlando Cabrera scored Alexei Ramirez on a perfectly executed hit-and-run double in the 13th inning, and the Chicago White Sox held on for an 8-7 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night.

Nick Masset (1-0) coaxed a game-ending double play from Mark Grudzielanek with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 13th.

With one out in the 13th, Ramirez reached on an infield single, his career-high fourth hit, and scored easily as Cabrera sliced a double into right-center off Robinson Tejada (0-1), the sixth Royals pitcher.

Masset went two innings and was the sixth pitcher the White Sox used in the 4-hour, 20-minute game.

The Royals tied it 7-all in the bottom of the 11th after the White Sox had taken a 7-5 lead in the top of the frame on A.J. Pierzynski's rare two-run sacrifice fly to deep center.

Mike Aviles had an RBI single and Alex Gordon brought him in with a double off Scott Linebrink, who started the 11th.

With one out and the bases loaded in a 5-all tie, Pierzynski hit Horacio Ramirez's 0-2 pitch deep into right-center. Joey Gathright fell down after making the catch near the wall and Joe Crede scored from third and Alexei Ramirez rushed home from second, sliding in well ahead of the throw.

Both runs were unearned off Ramirez.

Crede drove in two runs and Jim Thome was 4-for-5 with two doubles and three runs scored. It was the 11th time he's had four hits, equaling a career high.

Crede singled with one out in the 11th, becoming the first batter for either team to reach base since the eighth inning, and moved to second on Alexei Ramirez's third single. Cabrera reached when Esteban German failed to field his slow-rolling grounder.

Crede, the first White Sox third baseman named to the All-Star team in 16 years, hit a 416-foot home run in the sixth and then tied it at 5 with a sacrifice fly in the eighth. Nick Swisher's RBI single off Ron Mahay scored Thome just ahead of Crede's sacrifice fly.

German had an RBI single making it 1-1 in the second, then a second run scored on David DeJesus' infield grounder and German scored on Aviles' single.

The White Sox had at least one hit in each one of Kyle Davies' 5 2-3 shaky innings. Thome hit the first of his two doubles and scored on Swisher's infield out in the second. Thome then led off the sixth with another double and Paul Konerko's grounder.

Chicago starter Jose Contreras went 5 2-3 innings and was charged with five runs on 10 hits.

German had four hits, including a leadoff single off Masset in the bottom of the 13th. With one out, Aviles sent him to third with a single, his fourth hit, and Gordon walked, loading the bases for Grudzielanek.

[Associated Press; By DOUG TUCKER]

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