Buehrle masterful in White Sox 6-0 win

[May 08, 2009]  CHICAGO (AP) -- Mark Buehrle, who pitched a no-hitter two years ago, was perfect into the seventh inning and allowed one hit over eight innings Thursday night, leading the Chicago White Sox to a 6-0 victory over the Detroit Tigers.

Placido Polanco's one-out double ended the 30-year-old left-hander's bid for a perfect game.

Buehrle (5-0) is the first White Sox lefty to open a season 5-0 since Wilson Alvarez in 1994. The team is 6-0 in Buehrle's starts -- and 7-14 in games started by all others.

A.J. Pierzynski and Jayson Nix homered for the White Sox, who snapped a four-game losing streak.

Bobby Jenks allowed two singles in the ninth but preserved Chicago's second shutout this season by retiring the next three batters.

Working quickly and throwing strikes, Buehrle didn't need any great defensive plays and went to a three-ball count only once while retiring the first 19 batters.

After Polanco lined an 0-2 pitch into the left-field corner, the fans gave Buehrle a standing ovation. Buehrle then walked Clete Thomas and Magglio Ordonez, loading the bases with two outs, before retiring Gerald Laird on a fly to center.

Buehrle, who improved to 5-0 for the first time in his career, pitched his no-hitter against Texas on April 18, 2007. He missed a perfect game that day when he walked Sammy Sosa, but he promptly picked Sosa off first base.

On Thursday, the White Sox scored five runs in the first inning with two outs to give Buehrle all the cushion he needed.

Armando Galarraga (3-2) walked Chris Getz and Jim Thome before giving up Jermaine Dye's RBI single. Paul Konerko followed with a two-run double and he scored on Pierzynski's homer into the bleachers in right.

Nix, who has spent most of his nine-year professional career in the minors, hit his first career homer in the fourth. The rookie was playing only because White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen benched shortstop Alexei Ramirez, the runner-up in last year's AL Rookie of the Year voting but only a .211 hitter so far this season.

One start after allowing five runs in five innings, Galarraga allowed six runs in six. His ERA has gone from 1.85 before those outings to 4.08.

Notes: In his last six games, Pierzynski is batting .542 with three homers and seven RBIs, lifting his average from .220 to .313. ... Tigers LHP Dontrelle Willis, on the DL with anxiety disorder because he had trouble throwing strikes in spring training, is scheduled to make his season debut next Wednesday at Minnesota. ... White Sox 2005 World Series hero Scott Podsednik was back at U.S. Cellular Field for the first time since he was cut in 2007. He was called up from Triple-A Charlotte on May 1.

[Associated Press]

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