Ramirez grand slam gives Sox some payback against Jays

White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen had his third - and hopefully final - talk with Alexei Ramirez after Saturday night's 10-2 win over the Blue Jays at U.S. Cellular Field.

"I waited for him to do something good," Guillen said. "If I talked to him after a bad game, all of the sudden it's like you're being called into the principal's office."

Twice already in the early stages of the season, Guillen had to sit Ramirez down and tell him to straighten up. After commiting 1 error and muffing a few other tougher plays he usually makes in Friday's 14-0 loss to Toronto, Ramirez drew Guillen's wrath for getting down on himself.

"I will bench him if I see him moping around the way he was (Friday)," Guillen said. "Yes, I will bench him. I've got the power. I want my players to be happy. I don't want anybody feeling sorry about themselves.

"That's the way you win games. That's the way you win a pennant race. You're not playing good? Well, your teammates have got to pick you up until you get out of that. But when you just sit there, and put your head down and stuff, asking 'Mommy help me,' mommy's too far away. Daddy's too far away. You've got to help yourself."

Well aware of Guillen's pointed remarks, Ramirez broke open Saturday's game with a grand slam in the fifth inning. It was his first home run of the season, and it set up the pleasant postgame chat with Guillen.

"I feel good," Ramirez said through interpreter Lou Hernandez. "My coaches and mangers showed confidence in me and that's important for me."

Guillen just wants Ramirez to relax and start playing baseball, even if he often fails.

"This game, I don't care how good you are, you will have 300 outs, 400 outs, you have to handle it the right way when you get them," Guillen said. "I'm excited for him. This is a corner he has to turn. I told him I feel about him, how he was playing and how he was acting."

There's nothing like a lopsided win to help turn the page, but it wasn't all Ramirez on a rainy Saturday night on the South Side.

While he hit his fifth career grand slam in only 152nd major-league game and also drove in 5 runs, Ramirez got plenty of offensive help from Jermaine Dye (2-run homer) and Brian Anderson (2-for-3, 2 RBI).

Mark Buehrle (3-0) picked up his 125th career win after pitching 6 innings and allowing 2 runs on 6 hits.

Guillen said the real key to the victory were the standout defensive plays turned in by second baseman Brent Lillibridge in the fifth inning and center fielder Jerry Owens in the sixth.

"I keep talking pitching and defense, but you really don't hear about it unless there are plays like that," Guillen said.