Sox beat Twins behind call-up’s stellar outing

Right-hander Zach Stewart was called up from the minor leagues to start Saturday’s game at Minnesota.

Acquired by the White Sox from Toronto on July 27, Stewart’s promise had been better than his reality. But he succeeded against the Twins, allowing just 1 run in 6⅓ innings as the White Sox made it 2 straight wins at Target Field with a 6-1 victory.

“He threw strikes, attacked the strike zone very well ... made big outs,” manager Ozzie Guillen told reporters after the game. “It seemed like a lot of courage there. It seemed like he liked to be there and take the ball. He was facing a pretty good ball club and shut it down pretty well.”

Stewart, 24, was rated the top prospect in the Blue Jays’ system by Baseball America in 2010. That publication dropped him to fifth this year and when he got his first shot in the majors, it was nothing special.

Stewart started three games for Toronto in June and surrendered 26 hits in just 16⅔ innings. He was 0-1 with a 4.86 ERA.

After joining the Sox in the deal that sent Edwin Jackson and Mark Teahan to the Blue Jays, Stewart made 1 start for Triple A Charlotte and gave up 10 hits in 6⅓ innings in a loss to Durham.

The hit count stayed high against the Twins, with little damage, as Stewart was touched for 8 hits, to go with 2 strikeouts and a walk.

“A little nervous at first, but usually once the game gets going, it kind of goes away and just back to the same old stuff,” Stewart said.

In the fifth inning, he gave up a single, double and single, but Minnesota scored just 1 run when Stewart coaxed a double-play grounder to the next batter. The Twins went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position.

“It was really impressive, because every time you come to a new town, new team, you can be a little bit anxious,” Guillen said. “He seemed pretty calm and very normal, like he’s been there before. I like his attitude, his presence on the mound. He’s got a pretty good makeup.”

Stewart’s arrival pushed all the Sox starters back a day, beginning with Jake Peavy, who will throw today. The White Sox are in the midst of playing 17 games without a day off.

Guillen isn’t sure if the Sox will return to a six-man rotation, but he does think Stewart deserves another start.

“The way he threw the ball, he should,” Guillen said. “I’m pretty sure we want him back on the mound.”

There were more breakthroughs for the Sox on Saturday. Alex Rios, who was batting .153 in his last 23 games, went 3-for-5.

Another hidden weapon was base running. Heading into the game, the Sox ranked 11th out of 14 American League teams in stolen bases, but swiped four in this contest.

After Paul Konerko’s RBI single plated the game’s first run in the top of the fifth, Juan Pierre stole third and scored when the ball got past third baseman Danny Valencia for an error.

Clinging to a 2-1 lead in the top of the ninth, the Sox had Alejandro De Aza and Pierre on base when Twins reliever Joe Nathan bounced a wild pitch. Catcher Drew Butera made an errant throw to second, allowing De Aza to score the Sox’ third run.

“When you have a team that can run, you can make things happen,” Guillen said. “I think Butera has one of the best arms behind the plate in the big leagues. We don’t worry about it. We just keep running.”

Pierre scored on a ground out by Konerko, then Brent Lillibridge put the game out of reach with a 2-run homer that barely made it over the left-field fence.