ST. PETERSBURG (AP) - The Tampa Bay Rays continue to spot the Chicago
White Sox two-run leads before storming back to victory.
The Rays have taken a two-games-to-none lead in the American
League Division Series by rallying for a 6-2 win over the White
Sox, one day after Tampa Bay turned an early 3-1 deficit into a 6-4
victory. The White Sox led 2-1 in the fifth until Akinori Iwamura
Drilled a two-run homer off loser
Mark Buehrle). Carl Crawford, Rocco Baldelli and Dioner
Navarro added RBI hits in the eighth to put Tampa Bay in front 6-2.
Navarro finished with two RBIs.
Winning pitcher Scott Kazmir labored over five and a-third
innings, allowing eight hits and throwing 98 pitches. But Kazmir
and the Tampa Bay bullpen blanked the White Sox over the final
eight innings.
The White Sox had a 2-0 lead just six batters into the game. Jim
Thome (TOH'-mee) poked an RBI single and Alexei Ramirez added a
sacrifice fly, but Kazmir fanned Juan Uribe with the
bases loaded to end the inning.
Buehrle was pulled in the eighth, charged with five runs and 10
hits.
The White Sox host Game 3 Sunday. Chicago faced elimination in
each of their final three games of the regular season before
winning the AL Central.