CHICAGO (AP) -- Maybe it was the lineup shuffle by the White
Sox's disgusted manager. Or perhaps it was because Mark Buehrle was
pitching and Chicago's been scoring lately when he's on the mound.
Whatever the reason, the White Sox's offense got going Sunday
just in time to avoid a sweep, beating the Minnesota Twins 11-0.
"I think our offense finally came alive again," Chicago
manager Ozzie Guillen said.
"Our other pitchers want that support, too. We don't want to
get it once a week. Hopefully we'll keep it almost every day."
Jose Valentin and Joe Crede homered in a 15-hit attack that made
it easy for Buehrle.
Buehrle (3-1) allowed seven hits and struck out seven in 6 2-3
shutout innings to improve to 11-4 against the Twins. The White Sox
have scored 26 runs in his last two starts.
"We were kind of joking around and saying every time we come in
we're going to say I'm starting so they'll go out and score some
runs," Buehrle said. "I don't know what it is, but the last
couple of games they got some runs and some hits for me."
Twins starter Carlos Silva (5-1) lost as a major leaguer for
just the second time, giving up eight hits and six runs in just
three innings.
"I lost my location and I made a lot of mistakes," Silva said.
"They have very good hitters and if you don't hit your spots, you
are going to be in trouble and that's what happened today."
After a 4-1 loss Saturday night, Guillen promised changes to
pump up an offense that featured what he called some "pathetic"
at-bats.
He put second baseman Willie Harris in center field, reinserted
the team's leading hitter, Juan Uribe, in the second slot at second
base and dropped Valentin to sixth in the order.
Uribe, who is batting .351, didn't start in losses to Minnesota
on Friday and Saturday. He was 2-for-5 Sunday and has been the
team's biggest surprise in the first six weeks.
"That kid is a spark plug. Every time we play him he has a
great game offensively and defensively," Guillen said.
"He is the fuel of the team right now. That's why I try to get
him in the lineup as much as I can now and tried to shuffle the
lineup to see how that works. Today it worked pretty good."
Valentin hit an RBI single in the second, and scored on Crede's
eighth homer to make it 3-0. Valentin hit a three-run homer in the
third inning after a double by Magglio Ordonez and single by Carlos
Lee.
And after Grant Balfour came on in the fourth to replace Silva,
Chicago added three more runs on Ordonez's two-run single with the
bases loaded and another RBI single by Lee. Ordonez doubled in
another run to make it 10-0 in the fifth.<
Ordonez, Valentin and Lee all had three hits.
"Buehrle pitched very well and you give him a lead like that
and I guarantee that he's going to run with it," Twins manager Ron
Gardenhire said. "He's not going to make too many mistakes."
Game notes
White Sox DH Frank Thomas, who struck out three times, was
ejected in the fifth inning for arguing balls and strikes with
plate umpire Jim Wolf. It was the eighth time in his career Thomas
has been ejected. ... Twins OF Jacque Jones, 0-for-23 in his career
against Buehrle, didn't start. ... Harris started in center for the
first time this season. He made 23 starts there last season and the
White Sox were 10-13 in those games. ... The loss dropped Silva's
career record to 13-2. His only other loss came on May 24, 2003, at
Montreal while with the Phillies. ... The loss snapped the Twins'
seven-game winning streak against the White Sox, dating back to
last season.