Buehrle: Hopefully this is a start

The White Sox were supposed to win a lot of 2-1 games this season, and they finally showed why against the Cubs on Saturday.

"That's how we were supposed to be pitching," Mark Buehrle said after throwing 62/3 scoreless innings at Wrigley Field. "That's how we expected to come out of spring training. If we can do that, we know the offense is going to score runs. They're not going to score some games, but the starting staff hasn't been doing their job.

"So hopefully this is a start. Five (straight) quality starts and we've won four in a row. We just got to keep throwing quality starts and try to give our team a chance to win."

Buehrle, Jake Peavy and Gavin Floyd have all struggled through most of the year, and only Freddy Garcia and John Danks have pitched with consistency.

If all five Sox starters can get it going at the same time, maybe the season isn't going to be a complete waste.

Buehrle finally stepped up Saturday after going 1-6 with a 6.22 ERA in his last 10 starts. The left-hander didn't issue a walk and had 7 strikeouts.

"I got in trouble a couple innings and made some pitches," Buehrle said. "And the changeup was working today and it hasn't been there for five or six starts. I worked on it during a bullpen session and it worked for me."

Pierre comes through: With the White Sox clinging to a 1-0 lead in the seventh inning, Juan Pierre coaxed a leadoff walk against Carlos Silva.

Pierre proceeded to steal his 25th base - tops in the major leagues - but the Cubs called a pitchout and catcher Geovany Soto made a strong throw to shortstop Starlin Castro.

As Castro went to apply the tag, Pierre made a swim move with his left arm and did the same with his left leg and was called safe by umpire Kerwin Danley. He wound up scoring the deciding run on Paul Konerko's two-out single.

"I usually get called out but the umpire was in good position to get the call right," Pierre said. "Usually when the throw beats you, you're usually out. I saw that they pitched out ... I peeked in because there were two strikes on (Alexei) Ramirez. I was like, 'Oh crap,' because I was only halfway when (Soto) was getting the ball. Then you see where it was and it was one of those ones, I can't even explain it, instincts just take over. You try and do anything you can to maneuver. Fortunately, that play was big, it was a big run because they scored that one run in the ninth."

Rios on a roll: Alex Rios has quietly put together an all-star first half of the season for the White Sox.

But with more attention turned to baseball this weekend with the Sox and Cubs squaring off at Wrigley Field after the Blackhawks celebrated their successful run through the Stanley Cup playoffs, Rios has been basking in the spotlight.

Not that the 29-year-old center fielder is craving any attention.

"I just like to go out and play baseball," Rios said. "I like to help my team. That's about it."

After going 4-for-4 with a home run, 2 RBI and 3 runs scored in Friday's 10-5 win over the Cubs, Rios singled and was hit by a pitch Saturday.

Still on pace to become the first 30-30 (home runs and stolen bases) player in franchise history, Rios continues to make the White Sox look smart for claiming him (and his $61.6 million salary through 2014) off waivers from Toronto.

Rios batted .199 in 41 games with the Sox last season.

"I think when we got Rios, (he) made it easier for me when I made the comment, 'Wait for Rios next year,' " manager Ozzie Guillen said. "Wow. I'm not a genius; I've seen this kid play before. I know what kind of tools he has."

Cub killers? The White Sox now have a five-game winning streak in their series against the Cubs, their longest since the interleague rivalry started in 1997.

The Sox are 9-2 in their last 11 against the North Siders and they've outscored the Cubs 23-6 in the last four games.

The White Sox are also positioned for their first three-game sweep at Wrigley Field since 1999.