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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
CHICAGO (AP) -- The sellout crowd of 38,926 at Comiskey Park
chanted "M-V-P, M-V-P" after Frank Thomas hit his AL-leading 38th
homer. The Big Hurt didn't oblige them with a curtain call.
"I'm not a ham like that. I always respect my opponents,"
Thomas said. "It's about winning for me."
Thomas is doing everything he can to help the Chicago White Sox
win. He homered, doubled and drove in four runs as Mike Sirotka and
the White Sox beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 7-0 Saturday night.
"To see Frank day in and day out, he's the best right-handed
hitter I've ever seen," White Sox manager Jerry Manuel said.
"Tell Jerry thanks," Thomas said. "He's seen me work
overtime. There's no shortcut to success. Things are working out
for me."
Sirotka (11-10) combined with three relievers on a three-hitter
as the White Sox won for the sixth time in nine games.
"The mindset I had was make them hit my pitch," said Sirotka,
who was pulled after 100 pitches.
"He had better command of all his pitches," Manuel said. "It
was a good performance. When he does get in a groove, he stays in
it for a long period of time."
Magglio Ordonez reached 100 RBI for the second consecutive
season, and fifth time by a White Sox right fielder. He singled
home a run in the first.
Thomas hit a three-run homer in the seventh inning, leaving him
three shy of his career high set in 1993.
Thomas also doubled home a run in the third. He has 115 RBI,
three behind league leader Edgar Martinez of Seattle.
"All I can do is tip my cap to Thomas," said losing pitcher
Albie Lopez. "I went out and did what I have to do."
Sirotka won for the second time in his last six starts, giving
up three hits and five walks and striking out two in six innings.
Bill Simas, Kelly Wunsch and Lorenzo Barcelo each pitched one
inning of relief.
Lopez (10-9), who was coming off back-to-back complete game
wins, gave up seven runs -- six earned -- on 10 hits and two walks
over 6 2/3 innings.
"Albie wasn't as good as he's been but he had good stuff,"
Tampa Bay manager Larry Rothschild said. "A lot of those balls
weren't hit hard. Thomas hit the ball hard."
Ray Durham singled to lead off the Chicago first, advanced on
Jose Valentin's bunt single and scored one out later on Ordonez's
single.
Thomas hit a double with two outs in the third to score
Valentin, who had singled.
With one out in the fifth, Charles Johnson walked, reached third
on Durham's double and scored when Valentin grounded out to make it
3-0.
Ordonez reached second on left fielder Steve Cox's error to lead
off the sixth. Ordonez hit a fly ball to shallow left center and
shortstop Felix Martinez appeared to call for it. But Cox ran in,
Martinez backed off and Cox dropped the ball.
One out later, Herbert Perry singled to score Ordonez.
"The ball drifted on Cox and he has to run a long way as it
turned out," Rothschild said.
Game notes
Pitcher Ken Hill, who was released earlier this month by
Anaheim and signed a minor league contract with the White Sox, gave
up two runs on six hits and no walks over four innings for Triple-A
Charlotte Saturday night. He struck out seven. ... 2B Bobby Smith
was reinstated from the disabled list and started for Tampa Bay.
Smith had been sidelined since July 6 with a sprained right knee.
... Saturday night's crowd of 38,926 was the eighth sellout this
season at Comiskey Park. The White Sox have had 21 crowds of
30,000-plus at home. Last year, they had six.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Tampa Bay Clubhouse
Chi. White Sox Clubhouse
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