Thomas Halts White Sox’s Minor Skid

Frank Thomas sure knows how to end a slump.

After Jason Isringhausen balked home the tying run in the ninth inning, Thomas drove in the game winner in the 10th Saturday night as the Chicago White Sox rallied to defeat the Oakland Athletics, 4-3.

The victory was Chicago’s fifth in the last 13 games, and it preserved its nine-game lead over second-place Cleveland in the AL Central.

“We needed it,” Thomas said. “The guys have been looking at each other lately like, ‘What’s going on here?’ . . . We’ve got a special season going, a lot of young, hungry guys. Let’s keep it going.”

With Jose Valentin on first following a single off T.J. Mathews (2-3), Thomas doubled to deep left-center.

Ben Grieve grabbed the ball and threw hard to cutoff man Miguel Tejada, who threw a one-hopper to home. But the throw was a little wide and Ramon Hernandez had to move off the plate. Valentin, running hard all the way, saw a clearing and slid head-first, swiping his hand across the plate before Hernandez could turn and make the tag.

“We had them where we wanted them, but we couldn’t close the deal,” said A’s Manager Art Howe, who agreed Valentin was safe. “Ramon was probably a little frustrated with his error in the ninth. The one error, the one mistake is all it takes sometimes.”

Valentin collapsed with relief when plate umpire Paul Emmel called him safe, and his teammates flooded out of the dugout and piled on top of him.

“We needed this one,” Valentin said. “It feels good. Today’s win was one of the biggest so far because it’s late in the year and we need to keep winning.”

Keith Foulke (3-0) pitched two hitless innings, throwing what Manager Jerry Manuel called his best changeup of the year.

But it was Thomas who came through the biggest for the White Sox. His resurgence this year is a big reason the White Sox have the best record in the AL, and the team struggles when he does.

He was hitting .233 his last 12 games and hadn’t homered since July 17, but A’s pitching coach Rick Peterson warned Gil Heredia before the game that Thomas wasn’t going to stay quiet for long. He didn’t, homering off Heredia on a 1-0 pitch in the first inning.

“I threw it where it had to be to go out of the ball park,” Heredia said. “Sometimes you just have to smile and move on after a game like that.”

It was Thomas’ 30th home run, the most since he hit 35 in 1997.

“All he wants to do is win and whatever it takes, he’s willing to do it,” Manuel said.

Thomas finished three for five with two RBIs.