Thome snaps 0-for-13 skid at perfect time

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Jim Thome picked a pretty good time to get his first hit of the White Sox' four-game series against the Angels.

With the score tied at 3-3 and A.J. Pierzynski on third base with two outs in the top of the ninth inning at Angel Stadium on Thursday night, Thome dropped a single into right field off star closer Francisco Rodriguez to give the Sox the win and a split with Los Angeles.

Thome was 0-for-13 with 4 walks against the Angels before coming through with the clutch hit.

"Big hit,'' Thome said. "It was a big hit. You don't want to struggle. You don't want to go through the bad times, but it's part of the game. The main thing is to keep the same attitude, keep upbeat, and things will turn around.''

Dropped to the No. 5 slot after his average almost slipped below .200, the 37-year-old Thome never complained or considered any drastic changes with his swing.

Instead, he kept plugging away until coming up big against Rodriguez, who was tagged with his first loss of the season.

"I think everybody was rooting for him, big time,'' White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said of Thome. "The guy's a class act and he shows up the same way every day. One thing about it, he never gives up on himself. That was a big hit for the ballclub and that was a big hit for him.''

The Sox held a 3-2 lead in the seventh inning before an error by third baseman Joe Crede allowed an unearned run to score.

The White Sox didn't collapse, and they rallied in the ninth when Pierzynski led off with a double off Rodriguez and tagged and moved to third base on Carlos Quentin's flyout to deep center field.

After Jermaine Dye popped out, Thome finally broke out of his slump.

"It was great,'' Pierzynski said after the Sox beat the Angels for the second straight game. "I was so happy for (Thome). Everyone's kind of been on him a little bit. To get a hit like that, that's huge for him and huge for the team.''

Starter Javier Vazquez turned in another solid outing for the White Sox' rotation, pitching 6¿ innings and allowing 2 earned runs on 9 hits.

The Sox entered Thursday tied for second in the American League with 23 quality starts and fifth with a 3.70 ERA. Last season, White Sox starters ranked 12th in the league with a 4.77 ERA.

"That's the foundation of a winning team,'' said pitching coach Don Cooper. "If the pitchers take care of their business, it will be a strong foundation. Things are OK right now, but we have to keep it up. The big tests still remain ahead.''