White Sox take advantage of Konerko HRs, Texas' errors

[April 30, 2010]  ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) -- Paul Konerko hit two home runs after the Chicago White Sox took advantage of a wild pitch, two errors and two walks to go ahead in a 7-5 victory Thursday over the Texas Rangers to avoid a three-game sweep.

Konerko leads the majors with 10 homers after hitting a solo drive in the eighth and a two-run shot in the ninth. He also drove in another run with a sacrifice fly.

Rangers starter Scott Feldman pitched into the seventh with a two-run lead, but was gone after an error and a walk against the first two batters. Darren O'Day (0-1) gave up an RBI single to A.J. Pierzynski and a walk to load the bases before Dustin Nippert threw a wild pitch that allowed the White Sox to score the tying and go-ahead runs.

Konerko led off the eighth just clearing the 14-foot wall in left field to make it 5-3. His blast the following inning went to the back of the Rangers bullpen in right-center and proved to be the difference after Texas scored twice in the bottom of the ninth off closer Bobby Jenks, making his first appearance since Sunday in non-save situation.

Only one of the three runs allowed by Gavin Floyd (1-2) were earned. The White Sox right-hander struck out five with no walks over seven innings to end a five-game road losing streak.

Feldman, a 17-game winner last season, had failed to get past the fourth inning in either of his last two starts. But the right-hander had a 3-1 lead and was facing the bottom part of the Chicago lineup to start the seventh.

Alex Rios reached when rookie first baseman Justin Smoak dropped a throw for an error, then Mark Kotsay walked. O'Day pitched for the first time in a week after back stiffness. After getting Juan Pierre on an infield popout that had White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen dropping his head in frustration, O'Day loaded the bases with a walk to slumping Gordon Beckham.

Nippert then threw a breaking ball that bounced away from the plate. Kotsay scored from third and when catcher Max Ramirez made an errant throw wide of Nippert covering the plate, Pierzynski rounded third and came home to make it 4-3.

Beckham was in a 4-for-34 slide before a leadoff double in the fourth. He advanced on a grounder and scored on Konerko's deep flyball to right.

Josh Hamilton had three hits for the Rangers, who wrapped up a 4-3 homestand.

Smoak, the switch-hitter playing his seventh major league game, pulled a pitch into the second deck of seats in right field in the fourth for his first major league home run. The 402-foot blast put the Rangers up 3-1, and he added an RBI double in the ninth.

Texas went ahead with two unearned runs in the third after Julio Borbon tripled into the left-center field gap.

Joaquin Arias hit a grounder down the third base line that chased Borbon back to the bag. But Mark Teahen threw the ball wide of first base, allowing Borbon to score and Arias to go to second before Hamilton's RBI double.

NOTES: It was Konerko's 25th career multihomer game. ... The wind was blowing at 27 mph with gusts to 40 mph. ... It was Rangers manager Ron Washington's 58th birthday. ... 3B Michael Young is the only Rangers player to start every game this season after SS Elvis Andrus got his first day off. ... Young had one of the shortest groundouts possible. He had a check swing in the fifth, and the ball rolled just in front of the plate. Catcher Pierzynski picked it up and tagged Young, who hadn't even gotten out of the batter's box.

[Associated Press; By STEPHEN HAWKINS]

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