Floyd solid as Sox beat Marlins again

 

Rios hit a two-run homer and Gavin Floyd pitched 6 1/3 sharp innings to help the White Sox beat the Florida Marlins 4-1 on Saturday.Rios was acquired off waivers on Aug. 10 from the Toronto Blue Jays. He is in the third year of a seven-year $69 million dollar contract. Last season, Rios hit .199 with the White Sox with three home runs and nine RBI in 41 games.Rios is hitting .322 with six home runs, nine doubles and 13 stolen bases in his last 32 games.He drove in three runs Saturday for the White Sox, who won back-to-back games for the first time since April 25 when they swept the Seattle Mariners, and they’ve only won consecutive games three times this season.Guillen also got a strong start from Floyd, who has struggled most of the season.Floyd (2-4) came in the game allowing five runs or more in each of his last three starts, but he had his best outing of the season against the Marlins. He allowed just one run and six hits.Floyd was backed by a strong White Sox bullpen. J.J. Putz got two outs in the seventh and Sergio Santos pitched a scoreless eighth inning.Bobby Jenks ended the game with a perfect ninth for his seventh save in eight chances.Santos has not allowed a run in 16 of his 17 appearances. He’s been a surprise for the White Sox, who converted him to a pitcher from shortstop last season after seven years as a position player in the minors.The Sox improved to 130-101 record in interleague play.In its last six road games, Florida has been held to three runs or fewer five times. The Marlins ended a 22 inning scoreless inning drought on Cameron Maybin’s RBI single in the seventh inning.Marlins starter Chris Volstad (3-5) gave up three runs over six innings. He struck out four and walked three.Gordon Beckham reached on an infield hit in the third inning and stole second. After Beckham took third on a wild pitch, Rios hit a two-out RBI single.Mark Teahen doubled to the left-center warning track with two outs in the fourth inning, but was thrown out at the plate by left fielder Chris Coghlan when trying to score on Ramon Castro’s single.Volstad hit Beckham with a pitch in the fifth inning, and two outs later, Rios homered to left to put the White Sox ahead 3-0.They got an insurance run in the eighth on Carlos Quentin’s RBI double off Florida reliever Renyel Pinto.

NOTES—Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook, who watched the game from suite, got a nice applause when he appeared on the Jumbotron in the sixth inning. The Blackhawks are one win away from clinching a berth to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1992….A.J. Pierzynski had the day off.