Floyd, Swisher carry White Sox past Orioles
BALTIMORE - Orlando Cabrera doesn't like playing in cold weather. The White Sox' 33-year-old shortstop doesn't like being charged with errors, he doesn't particularly like hanging around the clubhouse after games, and he appears to generally dislike playing for the Sox.
Cabrera, however, is very fond of winning.
The Sox' leadoff man played a big role in Tuesday night's 8-3 romp over the Orioles at Camden Yards, matching his career-high with 4 hits. Cabrera doubled twice, tripled, scored 3 runs and drove in a pair.
The White Sox guaranteed they'll at least win the three-game series after posting their second straight win over Baltimore.
Cabrera is a little greedy.
"I think I'm a different type of guy," Cabrera said. "When I'm in a situation like this, I just want to win every single game. Of course you won't win every game, but if you go with that attitude every single day, at the end of the day you always have the series to win.
"We have to focus and keep winning, no matter who we face. At the end of the day, we'll see if we go to the playoffs or not."
Beating teams like the Orioles is imperative if the Sox hope to advance to October.
"We have to try to get wins against teams under .500," Cabrera said. "We are competing every day and we have a team (Twins) right behind us. We have to keep doing it and keep winning. We have to try to get a big difference in games so we don't stress down to the playoffs."
Gavin Floyd's inability to deal with stress caused him to struggle when he was a young pitcher with the Philadelphia Phillies. But the Sox' 25-year-old starter has blocked everything out this season and performed up to his potential.
That trend continued against the Orioles, as Floyd pitched 8 strong innings while winning his fourth straight decision.
"This kid is an animal," said White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen. "You see this kid throw in the bullpen and he's always a strong kid. The only thing about him is to make sure he stays on the same pace and concentration during the games. He has a chance to have a good career, and hopefully it's the beginning of one."
Another budding star - Carlos Quentin - continued stating his MVP case by going 3-for-5 while reaching 100 RBI with a run-scoring double in the fourth inning.
"I always say work hard and it pays off," Guillen said. "This kid is a workaholic. He never takes anything for granted."
<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=230453">Sox touched by visit with wounded soldiers <span class="date"> [8/26/08]</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>