White Sox beat Indians 6-4 in Manny's debut

CLEVELAND - For the second straight game, a late 3-run homer lifted the White Sox to a must-have win over the Indians at Progressive Field.

On Tuesday night, A.J. Pierzynski's clutch home run in the ninth inning was the difference in a 4-3 decision.

On Wednesday afternoon, Paul Konerko's 3-run homer in the eighth sparked a 6-4 win and three-game sweep over Cleveland.

Newcomer Manny Ramirez was standing in the on-deck circle when Pierzynski went deep Tuesday, preparing to pinch-hit. He was pulled back after the home run.

In his first start for the Sox in the series finale, Ramirez was also on-deck when Konerko put a charge into a hanging changeup from Indians reliever Justin Germano.

Coincidence?

"Our offense has been good for a while, to be honest with you," Konerko said. "We've been scoring runs and having good at-bats since June 1. It's not to take anything away from Manny's day or what he's going to do. This lineup has been pretty good for a while, if you check the numbers.

"But having said that, you look at Manny day to day, his at-bats always go long, 3-2, a lot of pitches being thrown, a lot of foul balls. Pitchers know who they're throwing to. That can't hurt. His track record speaks for itself."

Batting fifth and serving as the White Sox' designated hitter, which will be his full-time job down the stretch, Ramirez went 1-for-3 and was hit by a pitch in his debut game.

Ramirez grounded out leading off the second inning, struck out looking to end the fourth and he flared a single to right field leading off the seventh.

After Konerko's 33rd home run of the season in the eighth inning, Germano hit Ramirez in the back with a 70-mph curveball that got away from him.

Ramirez was lifted for pinch-runner Alejandro De Aza, who was recalled from Class AAA Charlotte earlier Wednesday.

Ramirez had a brief session with the media afterward, and he spoke in English.

"For me, I'm trying to take a pitch at a time, and I haven't played for a long time," Ramirez said. "I was just trying to get into a rhythm and see as many pitches as I can."

After missing five weeks with a calf injury, Ramirez started just two games for the Dodgers before the White Sox acquired him off waivers.

Feel rusty Wednesday?

"I did, but I'm getting there," Ramirez said.

Was it a big sweep over the Indians?

"We're going to try to keep the same momentum in Boston," Ramirez said. "We're playing a really good team in Boston so we really have to be careful with those guys."

Manager Ozzie Guillen loves having Ramirez on the roster, and he liked his approach in his first game with the Sox.

"He was very patient," Guillen said. "He didn't try to do too much. Like I said, he will make the lineup better."

With or without Ramirez, the White Sox are focused on piling up as many wins as possible as they continue chasing the first-place Twins.

"Minnesota, you've got to assume they're going to make their shot and win their games," Konerko said. "The only time we can control them is when we play them. We have to assume they're going to win. We've got to take each day like it is, do our part and if they stumble or someone beats them, great. But we can't expect them to lose games. We have to take care of what we do and go from there."

Scot Gregor's game tracker White Sox 6, Indians 4Captain clutch: Paul Konerko's 3-run homer in the eighth inning rallied the Sox back from a 4-2 deficit. The White Sox captain has 33 HR this season and 12 have come after the seventh inning.Early exit: Starting pitcher Freddy Garcia had to leave after 4 innings with lower back stiffness. Garcia, who allowed 2 runs (1 earned) on 4 hits, said he'll be fine for his next start.Late magic: The Sox scored 20 runs in the three-game sweep over Cleveland, and 13 came in the eighth inning or later. <div class="infoBox"><h1>More Coverage</h1><div class="infoBoxContent"><div class="infoArea"><h2>Stories</h2><ul class="links"><li><a href="/story/?id=405154">Sox, Thornton anxious to get the bullpen settled <span class="date">[9/1/10]</span></a></li></ul></div></div></div>