Morning Box Score

By Matt Motyka in News on May 25, 2009 3:30PM

Pirates Plunder Sox
The White Sox were four outs away from sweeping the Pirates on Sunday, but Pittsburgh posted three late runs to beat Chicago 4-3. Starter Mark Buerhle danced through seven innings, allowing 12 hits but only surrendering a single run. Thanks to a two-run homer from Brian Anderson in the second and a Josh Fields RBI single in the fifth, Buerhle exited the game with a 3-1 lead. The Pirates would not go quietly, however, as Chicago's recently rock-steady bullpen faltered down the stretch. Eric Hinske tagged reliever Octavio Dotel with solo shot in the eighth and Jack Wilson then replicated the feat off closer Bobby Jenks in the ninth. With two outs and the score tied 3-3, Jenks then gave up a double to Nyjer Morgan and a subsequent RBI single to Delwyn Young, as the game slipped away from the Sox. It was Jenks' first blown save of the season. Chicago will open a fresh series with the Los Angeles Angels tonight at 8:05 in Cali.

Padres Sweep Cubs
The Cubs continued to struggle in their 7-2 loss to the red-hot San Diego Padres on Sunday, now having been swept in two consecutive series. Chicago mustered a pair of runs this time around but never really posed an offensive threat, collecting only four hits in the contest. San Diego broke through first against Cubs' lefty Ted Lilly, scoring three runs on three hits, a walk and a sacrifice bunt in the fifth inning. The Friars then started the sixth with back-to-back doubles from Adrian Gonzalez and Kevin Kouzmanoff, to go ahead 4-0. The Cubs' scoring came in the seventh when Reed Johnson deposited the baseball into the left field seats, but the bullpen gave those runs right back in the bottom of the inning. Aaron Heilman intentionally walked Gonzalez to pitch to Kouzmanoff, and Kouz made his objections clear by blasting a three-run homer to left, giving the Padres' their final five-run margin. The Cubs come home to face the Pittsburgh Pirates tonight at 7:05.

Fire Beat Red Bulls
The Fire defeated the New York Red Bulls 1-0, giving Chicago its second straight victory. Chris Rolfe scored the lone goal just before the end of the first half on cross-net shot and goalie Jon Busch repeatedly denied New York's attempts to answer, recording his third shutout of the season. Busch's seven saves included a crucial stop on a Danleigh Borman header in stoppage time to preserve the victory. The win extends Chicago's unbeaten streak to an impressive 10 games and gives them a two-point lead in the Eastern Conference table. The Fire's next match is Thursday against Chivas USA.