Rios leads White Sox rebound over Seattle

[July 20, 2010]  SEATTLE (AP) -- Alex Rios hit a go-ahead, two-run home run and had three RBIs as the first-place Chicago White Sox rebounded from perhaps their toughest defeat of the season to beat the Seattle Mariners 6-1 on Monday night, ending a three-game losing streak.

The White Sox triumphantly answered manager Ozzie Guillen's curiosity of how they'd respond to Sunday, when they blew a three-run lead in ninth inning of a 7-6 loss at Minnesota.

Daniel Hudson (1-0) struck out a career-high six while allowing five hits and one run in 6 2-3 innings. It was the longest outing and second win of the 23-year-old's four-start career. Andruw Jones, subbing in right field while Carlos Quentin rested his bruised thumb, homered ahead of Gordon Beckham's RBI double in the eighth inning, and Chicago increased its lead in the AL Central to a season-high 2 1/2 games over the Tigers and Twins.

Detroit lost in extra innings at home to AL West-leading Texas while Minnesota lost big at home to Cleveland.

The Mariners lost for the 13th time in 16 games. They are 21 games under .500, equaling their season low.

With the game tied at 1 and Omar Vizquel on base thanks to a walk with one out in the fifth, Rios leaned back on his heels and then powered David Pauley's 2-1 pitch into the bleachers beyond left field. Rios' 16th homer of the season was the 100th of the seven-year veteran's career.

That's not to say Chicago cruised from there. Hudson, the fifth-round pick of the White Sox in 2008, left his second start of the season following an infield single by Seattle's Jack Wilson with two outs in the seventh.

Ichiro Suzuki singled off All-Star reliever Matt Thornton, who then walked Chone Figgins to load the bases in a 4-1 game. But Thornton struck out Casey Kotchman on three pitches, the third a 97 mph one up in the substitute's eyes.

Kotchman was playing only because Mariners designated hitter Russell Branyan had to leave following his second at-bat. Branyan felt stiffness in his back jogging down the line on his double-play grounder that ended the third.

The 27-year-old Pauley (0-2) allowed eight hits and three runs in six innings. It was his seventh career start and second this season as the fill-in for Cliff Lee, the ace that Seattle traded last week to the Rangers in a white-flag statement on this lost season.

NOTE: Guillen said Quentin could have played but that he wanted him to rest his bruised right hand. Guillen hopes Quentin, who has 19 home runs and 64 RBIs, can return Tuesday. He got hurt in the sixth inning Sunday.

[Associated Press; By GREGG BELL]

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