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GAME LOG
CHICAGO (AP) -- Cal Eldred's patience paid off Wednesday night.
Frank Thomas hit two home runs to help Eldred win his eighth straight decision and lead the Chicago White Sox to a 7-3 victory
over the Minnesota Twins.
Thomas hit a three-run homer in the first inning and connected
for his 20th home run leading off the third. It was his 17th career
multihomer game.
Magglio Ordonez followed Thomas' second homer with his 17th, the
ninth time the White Sox have hit back-to-back homers this season.
"I just wanted to set the tone early," Thomas said.
Ordonez matched his career high with four hits, going 4-for-4,
as the White Sox posted their 12th win in the last 16 games.
Eldred (10-2) is now 8-0 with a 3.04 ERA in his last nine
starts. The winning streak is the right-hander's longest since he
won a career-high 10 in a row his rookie year, Aug. 8-Sept. 29,
1992.
In '92, Eldred admitted he was "giddy" over his win streak.
And now?
"I sit back and take it in stride," he said.
"It seems like I've mastered pitching like I'm capable of in
the last 2½ months," said Eldred, who was making his 16th start
after starting just 15 games last year because of injuries. "You
learn to be patient. You learn that it's a process."
Eldred gave up three runs on four hits and four walks over 5 1/3
innings, striking out five and overcoming a brief rain delay.
He departed with the bases loaded and one out in the Twins
sixth, leading 6-2. Butch Huskey's sacrifice fly off Bill Simas cut
the deficit to three.
Mike Lincoln (0-1) took the loss in his first start and third
appearance of the season, giving up six runs on eight hits in three
innings.
"We got off to a rough start," Twins manager Tom Kelly said.
"Mike Lincoln, he missed his spots. He had to get the ball down.
You throw the ball down the middle in this league and they'll hit
it."
Ray Durham and Jose Valentin singled before Thomas homered to
give the White Sox a 3-0 lead.
With one out in the Chicago second, Greg Norton walked but then
rain stopped play for 36 minutes. When play resumed, Brook Fordyce
doubled, advancing Norton to third, and scored on Ray Durham's
groundout to make it 4-0.
Back to back homers by Thomas and Ordonez in the third made it
6-0.
Ron Coomer hit an RBI single in the Twins fourth and Matt Lawton
scored when Corey Koskie grounded into a double play to close to
6-2.
Ordonez scored from third on Chris Singleton's bunt single with
one out in the seventh.
Game notes
Thomas also hit two homers June 21 against Cleveland, his
first multihomer game since April 18, 1998, against Toronto. He hit
only 15 homers last season. ... Eldred was making his 16th start.
He made only 15 last season because of injuries. ... It was the
fourth time Ordonez had four hits in a game, most recently June 5,
1999, against Pittsburgh. ... Chicago third baseman Herbert Perry
was a late scratch because of an upset stomach. ... Lincoln made
his first start since last July 19 when he dropped an 8-4 decision
to St. Louis. ... Koskie went 0-for-2 to end his hitting streak at
13 games.
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Chi. White Sox Clubhouse
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