Buehrle outpitches Halladay, White Sox end Blue Jays' 10-game win streak with 6-5 victory
By RICK GANO
AP Sports Writer
6:37 AM EDT, September 11, 2008
CHICAGO (AP) _ Mark Buehrle outpitched Roy Halladay and the Chicago White Sox stopped Toronto's 10-game winning streak, holding off the Blue Jays 6-5 Wednesday night.
A.J. Pierzynski drove in three runs for the White Sox, who stayed one game ahead of Minnesota in the AL Central.
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The Blue Jays scored three runs in the ninth inning and fell one victory short of tying the longest winning streak in team history, set in 1987 and matched in 1998.
Toronto started the day on the fringe of the AL wild-card race. The Blue Jays lost to the White Sox for the first time in seven meetings this year.
Buehrle (13-11) worked quickly and efficiently, giving up seven singles in 7 1-3 innings. He walked two and struck out six.
Buehrle left with a 5-0 lead and a runner on base. Alex Rios greeted reliever Octavio Dotel with his 14th homer.
Pinch-hitter Brian Anderson's RBI single with two outs in the eighth put Chicago up 6-2, and it was a run the White Sox ended up needing.
Toronto rallied for three in the ninth off Bobby Jenks when pinch-hitter Joe Inglett singled with one out, Scott Rolen walked and pinch-hitter Lyle Overbay delivered an RBI single.
Mark Scutaro then hit an RBI double to make it 6-4 and put runners at second and third with one out. Jose Bautista's RBI grounder cut it to 6-5 and put a runner at third before Jenks struck out Rios to end the game.
Halladay (18-10) had won five straight starts but experienced a tough first inning when he threw 29 pitches and Chicago scored twice. He lasted six innings, yielding nine hits and five runs with a walk and eight strikeouts.
The five earned runs matched the most Halladay had given up in a game this season.
Chicago had batted only .144 against the Blue Jays this year while being outscored 23-8, but was able to get to Toronto's ace.
The White Sox played without first baseman Paul Konerko, who hurt his right knee in the second game of Tuesday night's doubleheader. An MRI exam taken Wednesday confirmed it was just a sprain and he will be evaluated daily. Nick Swisher moved from left to first base and DeWayne Wise got the start in left.
A single by Wise, an errant pickoff by Halladay, a walk to Jermaine Dye and RBI singles by Jim Thome and Pierzynski put the White Sox up 2-0 in the first inning.
Thome opened the sixth with a single, Alexei Ramirez doubled and Pierzynski hit a two-run double into the right-field corner to make it 4-0. After Juan Uribe singled, Pierzynski scored on a suicide squeeze bunt by Jerry Owens.
It marked the sixth career matchup between Buehrle and Halladay. Buehrle is now 2-1 and Halladay 1-2 in their meetings.