Buehrle overcomes disastrous first for fourth victory

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- After the Minnesota Twins wound up on the

wrong end of a triple play and lost despite scoring seven runs in

the first inning, manager Ron Gardenhire had one explanation.

"There must have been a full moon out there tonight,"

Gardenhire said. "It was an ugly game on both sides."

Mark Buehrle became the first AL pitcher -- and second in major

league history -- to win a game after giving up seven runs in the

first inning and the Chicago White Sox turned a triple play at a

crucial juncture of their 9-7 victory over the Twins on Sunday

night.

Buehrle (4-2) gave up seven hits and all seven runs -- only one

earned -- in the first inning, but only allowed five hits after

that, getting help from a triple play in the sixth to pick up his

first win since April 21.

The only other pitcher to win after giving up seven runs in the

first was the St. Louis Cardinals' Jack Powell, who did so against

the Cubs, but came back to get the win in a 10-7 victory on Sept.

29, 1900.

"Pretty amazing, but you've got to credit the offense for

coming back," Buehrle said.

And, of course, the league's first triple play in over a year.

The Twins trailed 9-7 when Nick Punto led off the sixth with a

bunt single and Buehrle walked Shannon Stewart. Luis Castillo tried

to bunt them over, but his attempt popped up in the air. Paul

Konerko charged in from first and made a shoestring catch, then

threw to Tadahito Iguchi at first to get Stewart.

Iguchi fired to Juan Uribe to get Punto at second base, giving

the Sox their first triple play since July 7, 2004, against the

Angels. The Cardinals were the last team to turn a triple play

before Sunday night, on May 5, 2005, against the San Diego Padres,

according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

"We were expecting a bunt, but we weren't expecting a triple

play," said catcher A.J. Pierzynski, who hit one of Chicago's

three home runs off Carlos Silva (2-6). "That was the first one

I've seen live. ... I'm just mad Uribe threw the ball in the

seats."

It was that kind of day for the Twins, who took advantage of a

throwing error by Buehrle and a fielding miscue by Uribe at

shortstop to score seven runs in the first.

Rondell White and Tony Batista added run-scoring doubles in the

inning to give the Twins a 7-3 lead and bring the home crowd to its

feet.

No lead is safe, however, with the White Sox at the plate -- and

Silva on the mound. The Twins' right-hander got off to a rough

start, despite getting some sterling defensive help in the first

inning, and it only got worse from there.

Scott Podsednik led off with a bloop single and Iguchi was hit

by a pitch after squaring around to bunt. Thome then drove a ball

to deep center field, but Torii Hunter leaped at the wall to rob

what would have been a homer.

Castillo then raced about 35 yards from second base to the first

baseline to track down a soft flyball from Konerko, and it looked

like Silva might get out of the inning unscathed.

But Dye followed with his 200th career home run to give the Sox

a 3-0 lead.

The Twins came right back with their most productive inning of

the season against one of their longtime nemeses in Buehrle, but

Silva couldn't hold it.

Jim Thome broke out of an 0-for-12 slump with a home run in the

third and Pierzynski's first home run in 55 games highlighted a

five-run fourth and made it 7-5. Podsednik tied the game with a

two-run triple later in the inning to chase Silva.

"Right now, nothing's working for me," Silva said. "I don't

feel bad just because I'm pitching bad. I feel bad because I'm not

helping my team at all."

Podsednik scored on a fielding error by Batista at third, one of

two by the Twins in the inning, and Konerko's sacrifice fly made it

9-7.

It was the latest in a string of disappointing starts for Silva,

who emerged as a dependable and sometimes outstanding No. 3 starter

last season.

He gave up eight runs -- six earned -- and eight hits in 3 1-3

innings and has given up at least five runs in six of his eight

starts. Silva also allowed three home runs to push his

league-leading total to 15 on the season.

"He just can't get his sinker down," Gardenhire said. "He's a

one-pitch pitcher right now. He has to develop a breaking pitch."

After a 3-0 start to the season, Buehrle had been nearly as bad

as Silva in his previous three outings, going 0-2 with a 6.27 ERA.

Before the game, White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said the team

needed Buehrle to pitch like the ace he has been for the past three

seasons.

For five of his six-plus innings, Buehrle was just that.

Bobby Jenks pitched 1 1-3 innings for his 11th save.Game notes
Chicago's Dye, Thome, Konerko, Pierzynski and Joe Crede all

swung pink bats in honor of Mother's Day. ... Stewart, Hunter,

Cuddyer and White used pink bats for the Twins. ... Punto took over

at SS in the fifth for Juan Castro, who left the game with a jammed

right pinkie finger. Castro is listed as day to day. ... The Twins'

frustrations boiled over in the ninth after home plate umpire Dale

Scott called out Mike Redmond on strikes. Redmond appeared to check

his swing, but Scott still called him out. Manager Ron Gardenhire

argued for several minutes and was ejected for the third time this

season.