Cabrera, Masset get it done for Sox in 13th
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - There was some noticeable disappointment in the White Sox' clubhouse on Tuesday after popular infielder Pablo Ozuna was designated for assignment.
"The vibe here is not a negative one,'' Paul Konerko said. "The vibe here is we can overcome almost every obstacle.''
The Sox certainly did that against the Royals at Kauffman Stadium, overcoming a 5-3 deficit to the Royals to take a 7-5 lead in the 11th inning when Joe Crede and Alexei Ramirez both scored on A.J. Pierzynski's sacrifice fly to deep center field.
The Royals tied it again before Alexei Ramirez scored in the 13th and Nick Masset pitched out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam to earn the victory.
There was more good news for the White Sox, as Konerko came off the disabled list.
It's been a frustrating first half for Konerko, who was bothered a sore right hand in May before missing 20 games with a strained left oblique muscle.
His numbers (. 216, 8 home runs, 31 RBI) are way down, but Konerko isn't putting too much emphasis on individual achievement.
"Everybody wants to have a career year every year,'' said the White Sox' captain. "You want to always see yourself put up the same or better numbers than what you had. The fact of the matter is, I have to throw the towel in on that, it's not going to happen. That's fine, I'll do it next year so you move on with that.
"My focus is solely on getting to the playoffs and helping the team win anyway I can. There are still a lot of games left, so I'm not going to sit here and totally punt on the fact that-I mean, I can get hot and do some things.''
Before coming out of Tuesday's game against the Royals in the eighth inning for pinch-runner Brian Anderson, Konerko was 1-for-3 with a walk and 1 RBI.
The 32-year-old first baseman looked pretty comfortable at the plate, just as he did during a four-game rehabilitation assignment with Class AAA Charlotte.
"I feel great,'' said Konerko, who was 6-for-11 with 2 doubles, 6 walks and 3 RBI for the Knights. "The first night there, I felt some stiffness during the game. From Saturday night on, I haven't felt a thing. I haven't felt anything in the left side since Saturday's game. It feels great. I don't even feel it. It's just kind of back to normal.''
Trailing Kansas City 5-3 in the eighth inning, Konerko helped the Sox tie the game.
With Ramon Ramirez on in relief for the Royals, Jim Thome singled with one out and Konerko walked.
Ron Mahay relieved Ramirez, and Nick Swisher scored Thome with a single. Anderson motored to third base and scored the tying run on Joe Crede's sacrifice fly.
Konerko certainly didn't dominate in his first game with the White Sox since June 14, but he did help the cause.
"I can still swing the bat the way I'm capable of and have a presence in the middle of the lineup,'' Konerko said after landing on the DL for the first time in his career. "That's the goal.''