Perfect return for Podsednik as Sox rally past Rangers

He was wearing No. 1 instead of No. 22. And he was batting at the bottom of the order instead of the top.

Other than that, Scott Podsednik looked - and played - a lot like he did with the 2005 World Series champion White Sox.

"Before the game, I mentioned to (bench coach) Joey (Cora) in the dugout, 'You feel life,' '' manager Ozzie Guillen said after the Sox rallied for a 4-3 win at Texas Friday.

Now 33 years old, Podsednik is trying to prove he still has it. Joining the Sox before the game after having his contract purchased from Class AAA Charlotte, Podsednik got off to a promising start.

Starting in center field for the injured Brian Anderson, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list with an oblique strain, Podsednik reached on an infield single with two outs in the seventh inning and the score tied at 3-3.

Advancing to second base on Derek Holland's balk, Podsednik scored the winning run on Chris Getz's triple.

Podsednik (2-for-4) also singled in the ninth inning.

"This kid came out and put some life in the clubhouse and the dugout," Guillen told reporters. "And he took the field and put across some nice hits. It's good. It's good. That's what we brought him here for, to keep those guys loose and play the game the way we think he can play.

"Hopefully, it works out for him."

Thanks to Jim Thome's bases-clearing double off Holland in the sixth inning, the White Sox worked their way out of a 3-0 deficit.

Thome had missed three straight games with a sore left heel. And Getz returned after missing five games with a fractured finger.

"Those guys make everybody else better," Guillen said. "Jimbo, every time we have people on base, he knows how to do it. And Getz has been great for us all year long."

Sox starter Mark Buehrle (4-0) improved his career record against Texas to 11-3 after allowing 3 runs over 6 innings.