Morning Box Score

By Matt Motyka in News on May 20, 2009 3:00PM

Sox Beat Twins, Snap Skid
Back on home turf Tuesday, the White Sox pulled off a 6-2 victory against the Minnesota Twins and in doing so snapped a five-game losing streak. The Sox locked it up in the second inning when Paul Konerko hit a two-run blast to left and Alexei Ramirez doubled home A.J. Pierzynski to give Chicago an early 3-0 lead. Jermaine Dye tacked on a solo shot in the fifth, affording the Sox some breathing room before Joe Mauer and Nick Punto each put a run on the board for Minnesota. Chicago responded in the home half of the seventh, pushing the lead back to four when Jim Thome hit a bullet down the first base line to drive in Dye and Scott Podsednik. The Sox didn't out-do themselves in terms of hits (seven total on the evening), but they effectively translated base runners into runs. And while the offense was busy producing, starter Mark Buehrle scattered eight hits over seven innings, allowing only one earned run and walking no one en route to his sixth W of the season. Despite his team's recent struggles, Buehrle sits tied for third in the majors in wins, behind only Roy Halladay and Zack Greinke. The White Sox will try to build some momentum when they take the field for game two this evening.

Cards Blank Cubs
Ted Lilly turned in seven quality innings for his team on Tuesday but couldn't keep pace with St. Louis starter Joel Pineiro as the Cubs fell to the Cardinals 3-0. Pineiro pitched a three-hit, zero-walk gem, going the distance against a helpless Chicago lineup. Mike Fontenot was the only Cub to record an extra-bagger when he doubled in the fifth, and Derrek Lee managed to pick up his sixth hit in his last 11 at bats. On the mound, Lilly attempted his best Pineiro impersonation, allowing only four hits and three free passes, but an RBI single in the first and a two-run dinger by Colby Rasmus in the fifth would make the difference. Lilly has been subject to the long ball this season, ranking tied for fourth in home runs allowed despite staking claim to the sixth-best WHIP in the majors. The tough-luck loss was Lilly's first in four appearances this month. Chicago will look to stop a skid before it starts when they pitch Ryan Dempster against Chris Carpenter tonight at 7:15.