Sox hang on to take rubber match from Cubs 4-3

Jake Peavy returned from the disabled list to get the victory, A.J. Pierzynski had a two-run triple and the White Sox beat the Cubs 4-3 on Wednesday night to win two of three in their first series this season.With the help of some strong work by their bullpen, the White Sox held on for the victory and have won 17 straight interleague series.Peavy (3-1), activated before the game after being sidelined by a groin strain, went 5 1/3 innings, giving up seven hits. He was driven out in the sixth when he gave up Carlos Pena’s 14th homer and three straight singles that pulled the Cubs within a run.Reliever Chris Sale struck out Koyie Hill before Kosuke Fukudome lined a ball off his glove for a single loading the bases. But the 22-year-old Sale got 21-year-old Starlin Castro on a grounder to third to end the inning.Jesse Crain and Matt Thornton notched key strikeouts and Sergio Santos pitched the ninth with two strikeouts for his 14th save in 16 chances.Pierzynski drove a two-run triple into right center in the fourth following consecutive singles by Alexei Ramirez and Alex Rios. Moments later Pierzynski broke for the plate and scored on Brent Lillibridge’s squeeze bunt single, giving the White Sox a 3-0 lead against Doug Davis (1-6), who beat the Yankees last week for his first win, allowed eight hits and four runs — three earned — in five innings. Castro singled home Fukudome, who had hit a two-out double, to pull the Cubs within 3-1 in the fifth.The White Sox loaded the base with two outs in the fifth on a walk, single by Rios and an error on Cubs second baseman Blake DeWitt before Davis plunked Lillibridge with a 1-2 pitch, forcing in the White Sox’s fourth run.Pena homered for the third straight game to cut it to 4-2 in the sixth — his fifth homer in the last seven games. One out later, Alfonso Soriano, DeWitt and Jeff Baker singled consecutively to make it 4-3 and drive out Peavy.The Cubs, who left 10 men on base, threatened again in the eighth but with a runner at third and one out, Crain struck out Hill before Thornton fanned Fukudome to end the inning.Paul Konerko, who had homered in five straight games, went 0 for 3 with an intentional walk.

NOTES—Bulls coach Tom Thibodeaux threw out the first pitch….New mayor Rahm Emanuel attended the game. … Slumping White Sox DH Adam Dunn, batting .175 with 91 strikeouts this season and the target of loud booing, was held out of the lineup against the lefty Davis. … Castro had a walk and two more hits and finished the three-game series 6 for 12. … Soriano had his first stolen base of the season in the fourth. … The teams play three more games July 1-3 at Wrigley Field. … Attendance was 35,403.Third straight game of this series that was NOT sold out,and just the fourth non capacity crowd since the Sox and Cubs started Inter-League play in 1997.