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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Mark Buehrle certainly didn't look like a
player with only three days in the majors.
|  | | The Sox got a pleasant surprise Wednesday when 21-year-old rookie Mark Buehrle won his first major-league start. |
The 21-year-old lefthander made his first start a memorable one
Wednesday night, pitching seven solid innings as the White Sox earned a 3-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins for their fifth straight win.
"I was more nervous having lunch with my parents this afternoon
than I was on the mound," Buehrle said. "Once the game started, I
felt fine."
Buehrle had pitched only one big-league
inning, but he went seven innings and gave up two runs on six
hits. A 38th-round draft pick of the White Sox in 1998, Buehrle
joined the team from Class AA Birmingham on July 16 after going 8-4
with a 2.28 ERA in 16 starts with the Barons.
Buehrle walked one, hit a batter and struck out five. He had the
most trouble with DH David Ortiz, who had three hits.
"Getting some runs early certainly helped him," manager Jerry
Manuel said. "But he had a good changeup and he was calm under
pressure. A rookie in his first start going seven solid innings is
more than a manager could have possibly hoped for."
Brook Fordyce broke out of a 1-for-18 slump with three hits,
including a home run, as the White Sox stretched their lead in the
AL Central to 10 1/2 games over second-place Cleveland.
The White Sox have baseball's best record (60-34) and have won
29 of their last 40 games. They also have won 21 of their last 27
road games and own the best road record in baseball at 31-17.
They gave Buehrle an early comfort zone with two runs in the
first inning and another in the second. The latter blow, Fordyce's
home run, ended up being the game-winning run.
"I was a bit tired in the seventh and I began to rush my
pitches a bit," Buehrle said while toweling off from an impromptu
beer shower given to him by his teammates. "I never thought I
could get a major league win this quickly."
Keith Foulke pitched one and two-third hitless innings for his
17th save.
It took the Sox only six pitches to take command of the game.
Ray Durham hit Eric Milton's second pitch of the game for a double,
and after Tony Graffanino beat out a bunt, Frank Thomas' RBI single
scored Durham.
Two pitches later, Magglio Ordonez's single sent Graffanino home
to make it 2-0. Paul Konerko then singled to right to load the
bases, but Milton retired the next three batters to avoid more trouble.
Fordyce led off the second inning with his fourth homer of the
season to make it 3-0. He also singled in the fourth and the seventh.
Milton (8-6) settled down after the second and gave up two
hits over the next five innings, but still lost his fourth
straight start.
"We just weren't able to scratch back," Milton said. "I put
the blame on myself. Anytime you let your team down early, it takes
the wind out of your sails."
The Twins got to Buehrle for a run in the third when Cristian
Guzman led off with his major league-leading 14th triple and came
home on Matt Lawton's RBI grounder.
In the sixth, Buehrle hit Jason Maxwell with the bases loaded to
force a home a run and cut the lead to 3-2. But he retired Chad
Moeller on a pop fly to end the threat.
"He left the bases loaded twice tonight," Manuel said.
"That's a lot of poise for a rookie."
Buehrle also escaped a potential jam in the fourth when he
picked Corey Koskie off first base.
"We had our chances tonight," said Ron Gardenhire, who is
filling in for Twins' manager Tom Kelly, home with his ailing
father. "It was kind of a disappointing game."
Ortiz, who added an eighth-inning single off Bill Simas to add
to his three hits off Buehrle, had the first four-hit game of his
major league career.
Game notes
Chicago extended several hitting streaks Wednesday _
Konerko has a career best 12-game run while Durham and Thomas have
eight-game streaks. ... Guzman's triple leaves him two shy of the
Twins' team record set by Rod Carew in 1977. ... The Twins were
banged and bruised at game's end. second baseman Jay Canizaro
suffered a lower leg contusion in a collision with Graffanino in
the second inning and had to leave the game. His status is
day-to-day. ... First base coach Jerry White was hit in the face by
Matt Lawton's helmet when the outfielder threw it to the ground
after flying out to end the seventh inning. White stayed on the
ground for a couple of minutes and had to be helped off the field.
He also did not return to the game and wore a bandage on his face
after the game.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Chi. White Sox Clubhouse
Minnesota Clubhouse
RECAPS
Kansas City 10
Cleveland 5
NY Yankees 9
Detroit 1
Toronto 5
Tampa Bay 2
Boston 0
Baltimore 0
Chi. White Sox 3
Minnesota 2
Texas 3
Anaheim 2
Seattle 6
Oakland 3
Atlanta 0
Florida 0
NY Mets 5
Montreal 3
Chicago Cubs 5
Philadelphia 4
Cincinnati 4
Houston 0
Milwaukee 6
Pittsburgh 0
Arizona 4
St. Louis 3
Los Angeles 9
Colorado 1
San Diego 4
San Francisco 3
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