CINCINNATI (AP) -- Down to his last strike, Jon Garland figured a

fastball was coming. His guess was right, his swing was right on.

Elias Says

Garland Jon Garland helped his own cause with a two-run home run in the White Sox's 8-1 romp at Cincinnati. Garland became the first White Sox pitcher to homer in a game in which he earned the victory since June 28, 1970, when reliever Danny Murphy did it in an 11-10 win in the second game of a twin bill against the Twins. No starting pitcher had turned that trick for the White Sox since Gary Peters in 1969. • For more Elias Says, Click here.

And the result was downright rare.

Garland hit the first homer by a Chicago White Sox pitcher in 35

years on Sunday, the best of his many good moments in an 8-1

victory that completed a three-game sweep of the Cincinnati Reds.

Garland (6-3) had a lot of good moments on the mound, allowing

only four singles while pitching into the ninth inning. Naturally,

those were overshadowed by one swing.

"We were all laughing," catcher A.J. Pierzynski said. "He

talks a lot of trash about hitting."

His two-run shot in the eighth off reliever Esteban Yan was his

first career homer and the first by a White Sox pitcher since Steve

Kealey's on Sept. 6, 1971, against Minnesota -- two years before the

AL adopted the designated hitter.

"It shocked me more than anything," said Garland, who had only

two career hits in interleague play before the homer.

The way the White Sox are playing these days, nothing shocks

their opponents. They've won 10 of 13, moving a season-high 19

games over .500 while keeping the pressure on AL Central-leading

Detroit.

"Those guys don't have any holes over there," Reds manager

Jerry Narron marveled. "They won the World Series last year, and

they're playing better than they did a year ago. After they've won

it, they believe in themselves."

In truth, the White Sox can win any which way.

Alex Cintron singled home the go-ahead run, and Rob Mackowiak

matched his career high with four singles as the bottom of

Chicago's formidable lineup came through early. Garland and

Jermaine Dye homered as the White Sox pulled away to yet another

win over Cincinnati.

Chicago has won nine straight against the Reds, leading their

interleague series 12-2 overall. It was the third time the White

Sox have swept a series from Cincinnati. They also did it in 2000

at Cinergy Field and in 2001 in Chicago.

A 2-8 homestand wiped out everything the Reds had gained during

their eight-game winning streak to open the month. Many of the fans

wore White Sox jerseys and rooted for the visitors during the

weekend series -- something the players noticed.

It was Cincinnati's worst 10-game homestand since 1950.

"This is a terrible homestand," said Brandon Phillips, who had

one of the four hits off Garland. "You see everybody in the stands

for the White Sox -- they came to support their team. I understand

why Reds fans are mad. We're not being consistent."

One of the AL's most balanced offenses showed it can win by

doing the little things. Chicago had five bunts, playing it modest

for the first seven innings. Then, it got the two clinching homers

-- Dye followed Garland's homer with a three-run shot in the ninth

off Mike Burns, just back from Triple-A.

Garland (6-3) is behind his pace from last season, when he went

11-2 in his first 13 starts. The right-hander has given up a lot of

homers -- 19 -- and a lot of big innings. He managed to avoid both of

those downfalls in a ballpark where the ball flies, retiring 13 in

a row before Phillips singled to start the ninth.

"He threw really well," manager Ozzie Guillen said. "In his

last two outings, he's gotten a lot of ground balls. Last year, he

had a good change-up. It looks like he's starting to get the feel

for it again."

Aaron Harang (7-4) matched Garland through five scoreless

innings, having fully recovered from a virus that limited him in

his last start. The White Sox finally broke through in the sixth,

when Jim Thome walked, Dye singled and Pierzynski sacrificed for

the first out. Cintron singled to score Thome for a 1-0 lead.

Guillen then gambled and lost. The White Sox tried a squeeze

with Juan Uribe at bat. He popped up the bunt, catcher Jason LaRue

made a diving catch, and Dye was tagged out a few steps from home.

The White Sox knocked Harang out of the game in the seventh,

when Tadahito Iguchi singled home a run and Thome had a sacrifice

fly after the bottom of the order set up the rally.

Game notes
Thome made his first start of the season at first base and

went 0-for-2 with a walk and the sacrifice fly. Thome, who has been

the DH all season, was out of the lineup for the first two games in

an NL ballpark. ... Mackowiak had been in a 3-for-20 slump. ... The

Reds held a moment of silence before the game for Brian Wilson,

their scouting supervisor in Texas who died of a heart attack

Saturday night at age 33. Wilson played three seasons in the Reds'

farm system. ... Burns was called up from Triple-A Louisville on

Sunday to take the roster spot of LHP Brandon Claussen, who went on

the 15-day DL on Saturday. ... LaRue made his first start since

June 7. He went 0-for-2, leaving him in a 2-for-34 rut.