Unable to deliver, Thome appreciative

Each time Jim Thome ambled to the plate Friday night, it was the same scenario.

The crowd rose to its feet, the cameras flashed, and the chants of "Thome, Thome" began.

But as much as the 33,581 chilly spectators at U.S. Cellular Field wanted to witness history -- and boy did they ever -- Big Jim just couldn't provide the goods.

Instead, the White Sox' designated hitter went hitless in 4 at-bats, meaning his quest for home run No. 500 continues yet another day.

But it was this particular day that the Peoria native won't soon forget.

"There was a lot of adrenaline out there," Thome said. "It was a neat experience, it really was. Even though it never happened, it was neat.

"But that's why it's one of the toughest things to do. When someone wants you to hit a home run, if anything, the more you back off is when it will happen."

While the fans didn't get exactly what they wanted, they went home happy, nonetheless, as the Sox held on for a 5-3 victory over the Los Angeles Angels -- a victory that not only made it two in a row but also negated the chance of the Sox suffering their first 100-loss season since 1948.

"It was a great feeling to see the fans that into the game," said Sox manager Ozzie Guillen. "It hasn't felt that way here in awhile."

They were into this one from the get-go, through the Sox falling behind 1-0 in the first inning to their 4-run rally in the fourth -- aided by some Angels errors -- that clinched things.

In that inning, Jermaine Dye knocked in a pair of runs with a single to center, then the Angels knocked the ball all around the field to allow 2 more to score to hand Bartolo Colon (6-7) the tough-luck loss.

"He had much better stuff than the line score is going to show," said Angels manager Mike Scioscia. "He had a good two-seamer, good velocity, and threw some good sliders late in the game. He pitched much better than the fate he had."

He'll get no argument from Thome.

"I felt like I had some good at-bats, but Colon made some good pitches," Thome said. "You've got to tip your hat to him.

"All of their pitchers challenged me tonight -- threw fastballs. I just didn't get it done tonight."

While Thome's struggles were the main event, the rebirth of Sox pitcher Jose Contreras provided a nice undercard. Since his demotion to the bullpen in early August and return to the rotation, Contreras (9-16) has found new life.

His victory Friday was his third straight.

"When I saw Jose throw for the first time out of the bullpen, I liked what I saw," Guillen said.

"The first three months of the season, I wasn't quite there mentally," Contreras said. "Going to the bullpen helped me a lot -- it helped me refocus and rethink about my pitching."

For the next few days, everyone who comes out to the Cell will be thinking longball.

They were Friday -- including 25 family and friends of Thome, who admitted he was gripping the bat a little tighter than usual.

"I learned from tonight," he said. "Hopefully we can come out tomorrow, win the game and we can get it over with."

White Sox 5, Angels 3

On the mound: Jose Contreras allowed 11 hits in 7½ innings but only 3 runs, and that was enough to earn him his ninth win. He has won 3 straight decisions for the first time since he won 17 in a row from late 2005 to early 2006. Bobby Jenks tossed a 1-2-3 ninth to pick up his 38th save.

At the plate: All eyes were on Jim Thome and his quest for home run No. 500, but it wasn't to be. Instead, Jermaine Dye provided the offense by going 2-for-4 with 2 RBI. Paul Konerko had 2 hits.

-- Mike Spellman