Garcia, Sox beat Angels for 4th straight win, move into second

The White Sox put the Minnesota Twins in their rear-view mirror Wednesday and kept their sights trained directly on the division-leading Detroit Tigers.

Powered by yet another solid outing from veteran starting pitcher Freddie Garcia, a 2-run double from Paul Konerko and a 2-run single by Brent Lillibridge, the White Sox stayed hotter than the tropical temperatures that spawned the thunderstorms responsible for delaying the first pitch by 2 hours, 20 minutes. They guaranteed a series victory over the Angels with a 12-hit outburst, which helped them overcome 5 errors in a 5-2 victory.

It was the White Sox' first win when committing 5 errors since they made 6 errors in a win over Boston on April 30, 1995, according to STATS, LLC.

"That's the first time our defense don't help us at all," Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said. "I think that's the first error (Omar) Vizquel makes in 20 years. But I think we overcame those errors. That's how you win games. You don't just lay there and worry about the errors, and they pick each other up."

The win was the fourth straight for the White Sox and their 21st victory in 26 outings. It vaulted the South Siders into second place in the AL Central, a half-game ahead of the Twins, who lost 6-5 in Toronto. The Tigers beat Baltimore 4-2 to maintain a 1-game lead over the surging Sox.

Garcia (9-3), a 33-year-old right-hander, limited the Angels to 5 hits in 6 innings, walking two and striking out six.

"He's been pitching so good lately for us," Guillen said. "He gets good wins and he's pitched so well against some good teams."

Paul Konerko gave the White Sox a 2-0 lead in the third inning, courtesy of yet another clutch hit. With Alexei Ramirez on third and Alex Rios on first after two-out singles, the Sox' captain doubled to the right-field corner against Angels starter Joel Saunders to make it 2-0.

Los Angeles pulled within 2-1 in the fifth inning on Howie Kendrick's RBI single, which came after an error, but the Sox gained some breathing room with a 3-run rally in the sixth inning. Dayan Viciedo doubled home Rios with two outs, and Lillibridge made up for two early strikeouts with a 2-run single.

The Angels scored a second unearned run in the eighth inning against reliever Sergio Santos, but Matt Thornton got the final two outs of the inning and closer Bobby Jenks closed out the victory by retiring the side in order in the ninth for his 19th save.

Jerry Fitzpatrick's game tracker White Sox 5, Angels 2 Garcia wins again: Freddie Garcia improved to 9-3 after holding the Angels to 1 run (unearned) in 6 innings. He allowed 5 hits, walked two and struck out six. Santos streak ends: Reliever Sergio Santos allowed an unearned run in the eighth inning, ending his scoreless innings streak at 5 innings over 4 appearances. Santos hit two batters and had one strikeout in one-third of an inning. Vote for Paulie: Paul Konerko went 2-for-4 with 2 doubles and 2 RBI help his bid to become the final player voted to the all-star team. <div class="infoBox"><h1>More Coverage</h1><div class="infoBoxContent"><div class="infoArea"><h2>Stories</h2><ul class="links"><li><a href="/story/?id=392545">Peavy likely done for year <span class="date"> [7/7/10]</span></a></li><li><a href="/story/?id=392677">Sox GM reportedly covets Dunn<span class="date"> [7/8/10]</span></a></li></ul></div></div></div>