CHICAGO | Alexei Ramirez hit a two-run triple and Jermaine Dye added a go-ahead RBI single in an unusual seventh inning as the White Sox came back to beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 on Wednesday night.
Scott Podsednik homered for the White Sox, who pulled within one game of the Detroit Tigers in the AL Central.
The Rays went through five pitchers in an unusual seventh inning caused by an injury to Chad Bradford during warm-up tosses on the mound.
White Sox reliever D.J. Carrasco (3-0) pitched a perfect seventh inning and Matt Thornton pitched two scoreless innings for his first save of the season.
Rays manager Joe Maddon replaced Shields with left-hander Randy Choate to face Scott Podsednik. Podsednik hit a bouncer to shortstop Jason Bartlett, who made a bad throw that allowed Beckham and Podsednik to move to second and third.
Maddon then brought in Bradford, who after several warm-up pitches, had to leave the game with lower back stiffness.
Dan Wheeler (3-3) came in to face Ramirez, who hit a ball to center, that looked to be a routine fly out, but B.J. Upton misjudged the ball and it went over his head allowing two runs to score. Dye followed with a RBI single to make it 4-3.
Before the game, White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen defended closer Bobby Jenks and made it clear the closer job is still his. Jenks, suffered the loss and his third blown save of the season on Tuesday in a 3-2 loss to the Rays.
"(He) blew one game, it's not two, it's one obviously that broke our heart but there is nobody in this room that feels worst than him," Guillen said. "All of sudden, people treat him like he was a piece of garbage. The way they treat him is not fair."
White Sox starter Carlos Torres made his major league debut in place of left-hander John Danks, who missed the start with a blister on his left index finger. Torres allowed three runs and six hits over six innings. The 26-year-old right-hander struck out three and walked three.
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
White Sox 4, Rays 3
The Sox scored three runs with two outs in the seventh inning.
Up next: Rays (Scott Kazmir 4-5) at White Sox (Mark Buehrle 10-3), 1:05 p.m. today.
TV/Radio: Comcast SportsNet (cable); WSCR-AM (670).
Status Updates
American League
Curtis Granderson, T.F. South, OF, Tigers: Went 1-for-4 with a strikeout.
Ron Mahay, South Suburban, P, Royals: Late game.
National League
Tim Byrdak, SSC/RailCats, P, Astros: Pitched two-thirds of an inning.
LaTroy Hawkins, West Side, P, Astros: Pitched one-third of an inning.
Jeff Samardzija, Valparaiso, P, Cubs: Did not pitch.
