Manuel Talks and White Sox Listen

The Chicago White Sox reacted quickly and emphatically to Manager Jerry Manuel’s plea for a better effort.

Harold Baines and Frank Thomas each homered and drove in five runs, and Rocky Biddle pitched seven strong innings for his first major league win as the White Sox beat the Orioles, 14-4, Tuesday night at Baltimore.

Biddle (1-1) pitched seven strong innings after Manuel delivered a closed-door lecture a night earlier, after an 8-2 loss to the Orioles that dropped them to 15-15 since the All-Star break.

“We all have to step up our game a little bit. These are the dog days,” Biddle said. “I took it upon myself to go out there and be aggressive.”

Jeff Abbott also homered for the White Sox.

Manuel took 15 minutes to tell his first-place team to play with more concentration and intensity. Apparently taking his words to heart, the White Sox built a 9-2 lead after four innings against Jason Johnson (1-9), who as a 7.20 earned-run average in 13 starts.

“It was a good response, I guess. It was a good night,” Manuel said after watching the White Sox play errorless ball and get 16 hits.

Baines had a three-run homer and a two-run double in his first appearance against the Orioles since they traded him on July 29.

Biddle gave up four runs, six hits and two walks in his second start since being called up from double-A Birmingham.

Chicago batted around in a six-run fourth inning that turned a 3-2 game into a rout. Jose Valentin doubled in a run before Thomas hit a two-run single. After Magglio Ordonez singled, Baines hit a drive to center that Luis Matos gloved, then lost after his arm hit the seven-foot wall.

“I got lucky. I didn’t think the ball would be going out,” Baines said.

Baines chased Johnson--who was charged with 12 runs, 10 earned--with a two-run double in the sixth inning that made the score 11-2.

Thomas hit his AL-leading 36th homer off B.J. Ryan with one on in the seventh.

New York 10, Texas 2--After going 3 1/2 months without a victory, David Cone (3-10) won for the second time in a week, getting a four-run lead before throwing his first pitch at Arlington, Texas.

Cone pitched five strong innings and got support from two-run homers by David Justice, Scott Brosius and Paul O’Neill in the Yankees’ 10th consecutive win over the Rangers and 39th in the last 50 games between the teams.

Only six days after winning for the first time since April 28--ending a 15-start span that saw his go 0-8--Cone shut out Texas on three hits for the first four innings and had a 10-0 lead in the process. He turned a 12-2 lead over to Dwight Gooden, who pitched four shutout innings for the second save of his career and first since he was pitching for the New York Mets in 1989.

Tampa Bay 3, Boston 1--Miguel Cairo had an RBI single, sacrifice fly and two stolen bases for the Devil Rays, who won at Boston.

Tanyon Sturtze (4-2) gave up one run and eight hits in 6 2/3 innings and was especially effective against the Red Sox’s No. 3 hitter, Carl Everett, who went one for five and stranded six runners.

Boston lost for the second time in six games, and Tampa Bay is 6-1 in its last seven road games.

Jeff Fassero (8-6) struck out a season-high 10 batters, giving up one run and five hits in six innings.

Minnesota 6, Kansas City 2--Eric Milton won his fourth consecutive decision and Torii Hunter homered and drove in three runs for the Twins in their win at Minneapolis.

Jacque Jones also homered for the Twins, who have won seven of their last 12 games.

Mike Sweeney homered and drove in two runs for the Royals, who lost their seventh game in a row at the Metrodome dating to last season.

Detroit 9, Seattle 0--Knuckleball pitcher Steve Sparks held the Mariners hitless until the sixth inning and pitched his first major league shutout in the Tigers’ win at Seattle.

The West-leading Mariners lost their season-high fourth in a row. Dean Palmer and Juan Gonzalez homered for Detroit, which won for the fifth time in six games.

Sparks (3-2) finished with a five-hitter in his first complete game in the majors since May 24, 1996. He struck out six and faced only 30 batters. Only two runners reached second base.

Making his sixth start for the Tigers, Sparks did not give up a hit until Carlos Guillen’s double with two out in the sixth inning.

Sparks pitched for the Angels last season and was signed by the Tigers as a minor league free agent March 26 after being released by Philadelphia.

Palmer drove in four runs for the fourth time this season, hitting a two-run homer--his team-leading 23rd--and a two-run single.

Gonzalez, who had a season-high four hits, hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning. The Tigers finished with 17 hits.

Oakland 5, Cleveland 3--Ben Grieve homered and drove in two runs as the Athletics defeated the Indians at Oakland.

Matt Stairs also drove in two runs as the A’s won for the third time in four games after a season-high six-game losing streak.

Mark Mulder (7-8) won for only the second time since June 25, a span of nine starts. He went six innings, giving up two runs and five hits.

The A’s beat the Indians for the second straight night and moved two games ahead of them in the wild-card race.