Recap: Chicago WSox vs. Tampa Bay
Sports Network | August 22, 2008
Chicago, IL (Sports Network) - Carlos Pena, Rocco Baldelli and Ben Zobrist all homered as Tampa Bay downed Chicago, 9-4, in the opener of a three-game set at U.S. Cellular Field.
Zobrist drove in three runs and Dioner Navarro went 2-for-4 and scored a pair of runs for the Rays, who have won four of five and continue to lead the AL East by 4 1/2 games.
Edwin Jackson (10-8) allowed just two runs on seven hits in six innings while striking out five and walking five to pick up the win.
Nick Swisher and Alexi Ramirez both has two-run home runs for the White Sox, who lost for the first time in six games and fell into a first place tie in the AL Central with the Minnesota Twins. The Twins are playing the LA Angels of Anaheim on the West Coast.
John Danks (10-6) surrendered three runs on seven hits in 6 1/3 innings en route to the loss. The southpaw struck out four and walked two in defeat.
Trailing 2-0, the Rays got a run back in the fifth when Navarro led off with a single and came around to score when Akinori Iwamura came through with a two- out triple.
Tampa Bay evened things in the fifth after Pena led off the frame by blasting his 26th homer run of the year.
The Rays went in front for the first time in the seventh. Navarro started things with a double to left and eventually crossed the plate when Jason Bartlett slapped a one-out RBI double to left.
Tampa Bay then put things away with three runs in the eighth. Baldelli greeted Octavio Dotel by ripping his first homer of the year over the wall in left. Willy Aybar followed with a double and Zobrist capped things by belting a two- run homer to center.
The White Sox tried to make it interesting off J.P. Howell in the bottom of the eighth. Jim Thome drew a walk to leadoff the frame and Ramirez followed by blasting a homer over the wall in left.
But, the Rays answered with three runs off the Chicago bullpen in the ninth. B.J. Upton opened the frame by drawing a walk off Horacio Ramirez, then swiping second and scoring on Pena's double to right. Baldelli kept things going with a single to left and the ChiSox has seen enough of Ramirez, going to Adam Russell.
Russell managed to fan Aybar but Zobrist sliced an RBI single to left. Navarro followed by drawing a walk to load the bases before Gabe Gross slapped an RBI grounder to second to make it 9-4.
The White Sox jumped on top with a pair of runs in the fourth. Ken Griffey Jr. led off the frame with a single and Swisher followed by depositing his 21st homer over the year over the wall in center.
Swisher has now homered in four consecutive games...Chicago's Orlando Cabrera went 2-for-4 and extended his hitting streak to 10 games...Tampa Bay is 23-10 since the All-Star break...After losing six of seven to the White Sox last year, the Rays have won the last four meetings to grab a 5-3 series lead this season.
