Home Central Florida Sports 

Story

Konerko Powers ChiSox To Sweep Of Devil Rays

Posted: 10:42 pm EDT June 28, 2007

(Sports Network) - Javier Vazquez allowed one run over seven solid innings and Paul Konerko homered twice, as the Chicago White Sox completed their first sweep of the season when they wrapped up their four-game set against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays at Tropicana Field with a 5-1 win.

Vazquez (4-5), winless in his previous four starts, scattered seven hits with 10 strikeouts and three walks before Matt Thornton and Ryan Bukvich tossed a perfect eighth and ninth, respectively.

Tadahito Iguchi also homered for the White Sox, who now head to Kansas City for three straight games over the weekend. Luis Terrero ended 2-for-3 with an RBI in the win.

Greg Norton went 2-for-4 for the Devil Rays, who now head to Cleveland for four straight games. Scott Kazmir (5-4), who has just two losses in his last nine outings, gave up four runs on six hits with three walks and nine strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings for Tampa.

Chicago got on the board with two runs in the second. Konerko led off with a long ball to left field on a 1-2 pitch. Iguchi tripled two batters later and came home on Josh Fields' single.

Iguchi put up another run in the fourth on a lead-off homer to left field on a 1-1 pitch.

Tampa Bay answered with a run in the bottom half, as Carl Crawford led off with a single, moved to third on Norton's double, and came home as Ty Wigginton grounded out.

Chicago put up a run in the sixth when Iguchi walked and later scored on a Terrero single, and another in the seventh, as Konerko belted another homer to left field on the first pitch he saw.

Tampa Bay put runners at the corners in the second, but Jonny Gomes struck out swinging to end the inning. The Rays also put runners in scoring position in the fifth but Norton flied out to leave them stranded.

Game Notes

Chicago batters struck out 13 times, and at least 10 times in all four games of the series...Vazquez has struck out at least one batter in 238 straight starts for the second-longest streak among active pitchers...These teams split a rain-shortened two-game series earlier in the year, but the White Sox have won eight of the last 12 matchups. Chicago is also 15-8 in the series since the start of the 2004 campaign.

Sports Channels