White Sox Are Rolling to Title

On a night when every pitch felt like the postseason, the Chicago White Sox seemed ready for October.

Paul Konerko made a diving stop at first with the bases loaded in the seventh inning and hit a two-run homer Friday night as Chicago moved a game closer to wrapping up the American League Central with a 5-4 victory over the Indians at Cleveland.

“We’ve done it all year,” Konerko said. “We keep getting tested and we keep coming through.”

In beating the Indians for the fourth consecutive time at Jacobs Field, the White Sox increased their lead to 8 1/2 games over second-place Cleveland. Chicago is 29 games over .500 for the first time since the end of the 1983 season.

Rookie Mark Buehrle (4-1) pitched 1 2/3 innings for the win, and Bob Howry got out of a bases-loaded jam in the seventh with Konerko’s help as the White Sox improved to 8-3 against Cleveland.

White Sox starter James Baldwin was chased in the fifth inning and said he is still bothered by discomfort in his shoulder.

“I don’t know what it is,” Baldwin said. “That’s not an excuse for me to give up runs, I would never do that. But I’m not 100 percent right now.”

Tampa Bay 4, Oakland 0--Cory Lidle pitched two-hit ball for seven innings to lead the Devil Rays at Oakland.

Lidle (2-5) struck out two and walked two. He began the game with an 8.07 ERA in his other seven starts this season.

Toronto 3, Detroit 0--Esteban Loaiza pitched a five-hitter for his second shutout, leading the Blue Jays at Toronto.

Minnesota 4, Seattle 2--Rookie Matt Kinney got his first major league victory and rookie Anthony Pierzynski hit his first home run at Seattle.

The Mariners, who had a seven-game AL West lead on Aug. 11, are 7-18 since then. Their lead remained at two games because Oakland lost as well.

Texas 6, Kansas City 5--Rusty Greer returned from an injury with a home run and Rafael Palmeiro also connected for the Rangers at Kansas City, Mo.