Morning Box Score
By Matt Motyka in News on Jul 19, 2009 3:30PM
Sox Top Orioles
The White Sox held on for a game-two victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday, winning by the score of 4-3. Effective starting pitching from Mark Buehrle and a four-run offensive outburst in the fifth put Chicago on top 4-1 headed into the late innings. That outburst began with a two-run dinger from Jermaine Dye, and after six consecutive Sox’s hits, ended on back-to-back plays at the plate. Chicago’s three-run advantage was safe until the top of the ninth, when closer Bobby Jenks allowed two runs before getting Nick Markakis to ground out, ending the game and preserving the save. It was the tenth win of the season for Mark Buehrle, who appeared to be back in top form after a rocky previous start. The Sox will go for the series sweep when they take the field at 1:05 this afternoon.
Cubs Come Back, Beat Nats
The Cubs defeated the Washington Nationals for the third straight game on Saturday night, rallying to a 6-5 victory. Starter Randy Wells got off to a rough start, allowing four runs on six hits in the first two frames. Wells regained his composure, however, holding the Nats to just one additional hit through the next three innings. The Cubs filled the offensive void by scoring two runs on a Ryan Theriot triple in the third, and jumped ahead when Alfonso Soriano slapped one over the wall in right-center to score three more for the Cubbies. Mike Fontenot added a crucial insurance run when he hit a round-tripper in the eighth, and Kevin Gregg cleaned up Aaron Heilman’s bases-loaded mess in the bottom half of the inning to keep the Cubs on top. Chicago will attempt the four-game sweep when they step to the plate at 12:35.
Fire Scald San Jose
The Fire earned a long-awaited home victory with a 2-0 shutout of the San Jose Earthquakes Saturday. Chicago wasn’t in a hurry to end its home scoreless streak, either, as their first goal came off the foot of Patrick Nyarko in the 82nd minute. Nyarko’s goal was assisted by Cuautehmoc Blanco, who scored one of his own eight minutes later, securing the Chicago win. Jon Busch contributed five saves in his seventh shutout of the season as the Fire maintained their first-place standing in the Eastern Conference table. The next match for Chicago will be in Seattle on Saturday.