OAKLAND—Mark Buehrle was so locked in he didn’t even notice the malfunctioning stadium radar gun clock one of his first-inning pitches at 800 mph.The left-hander only seemed that dominant.Buehrle pitched a four-hitter on the one-year anniversary of his perfect game and the White Sox beat the Oakland Athletics 5-1 on Friday.Buehrle (9-8) was nearly flawless through six innings against Oakland before giving up a run in the seventh that ended a scoreless streak of 26 1/3 innings by White Sox starters. He then retired the final eight batters to finish his second straight complete game.Buehrle struck out two and didn’t walk a batter for the third time in his last four starts. He also earned his first career win in Oakland.Buehrle pitched a perfect game against Tampa Bay last season but got off to a rocky start this year, losing five straight decisions at one point. He’s rebounded nicely, going 6-2 with a 2.20 ERA over his last eight starts.Carlos Quentin drove in two runs in his return to the lineup and Omar Vizquel added two hits to move past Luke Appling into 50th place on baseball’s career hit list, helping the Sox increase their lead to 2½ games over Detroit in the AL Central.Quentin had not played since getting hit in his right wrist against Minnesota last Sunday.One of the White Sox top hitters before getting hurt, Quentin picked up where he left off. He drew a pair of walks, knocked in Alex Rios with a sacrifice fly in the fourth then drove in Vizquel with a groundout in the sixth.A.J. Pierzynski added a two-run single in the ninth off Oakland reliever Henry Rodriguez.That’s an encouraging sign for the Sox, who have won three of four on this road trip since dropping three of four at home against Minnesota.Oakland All-Star Trevor Cahill (9-4) lost for the second time in four starts. The right-hander scattered four hits and allowed three runs over seven innings but got little offensive support from his teammates.Jack Cust doubled twice and drove in the A’s only run.The A’s, who announced before the game that they signed catcher Kurt Suzuki to a new four-year contract, lost for only the second time in nine games.

NOTES—Oakland GM Billy Beane said he doesn’t anticipate trading RHP Ben Sheets, who signed a $10 million one-year deal in the offseason. Sheets (4-9) scuffled early in the season but has a 3.37 ERA over his last five starts….The White Sox plan to use a closer by committee approach for the next few days while RHP Bobby Jenks works out his kinks. Jenks has 20 saves this season but has been struggling lately and took the loss after blowing a save against Seattle on Wednesday. “We’re a better ballclub when Bobby is the guy to close it,” Ozzie Guillen said. “We’re going to put him in spots, maybe one day or two days, to see if we can regroup him.”

When scouting St. Louis hitters, Randy Wells didn’t bother watching videotape of his previous outing against the Cardinals.”There was no reason to dwell on me getting my butt kicked,” the Cubs right-hander said. “I finally got my confidence back, and I wasn’t going to risk it by reliving that.”. About two months after failing to retire a single St. Louis batter in the worst game of his career, Wells pitched seven shutout innings Friday and led the Cubs to a 5-0 victory over the suddenly punchless Cardinals.Held to one hit in Thursday’s 11-inning loss to Philadelphia, St. Louis followed with only five against Wells and Sean Marshall. And so the Cardinals, who had outscored opponents 46-17 during an eight-game winning streak that ended Thursday, snapped a major-league record stretch of 2,370 games without consecutive shutouts.It last happened to them in September 1995 — the year before Tony La Russa took over as manager.Albert Pujols, went 0 for 8 in the two losses, both coming in uncomfortably hot, humid conditions.Meanwhile, the Cubs took advantage of the wind — and of some pitches Jeff Suppan left up in the strike zone.Alfonso Soriano hit a two-run homer and Tyler Colvin and Geovany Soto added solo shots for the Cubs, who still trail first-place St. Louis by 10 games in the NL Central.Wells (5-7) allowed five hits — one single in each of the second through sixth innings — and struck out seven. It was the polar opposite of his performance against the Cardinals on May 28, when he gave up hits to the first six batters and left trailing 5-0.Wells, who has a 1.30 ERA in his past five starts after starting with 5.21 in his first 15 outings, has allowed no runs in his past two games.The biggest threat against him came in the sixth, when Jon Jay singled, went to second on Pujols’ grounder and advanced on Wells’ errant pickoff attempt. Wells struck out Matt Holliday and got Colby Rasmus to pop out.Suppan (0-6) allowed five runs and 10 hits in six innings. He fell to 0-4 since rejoining the Cardinals last month after Milwaukee released him. St. Louis is 39-22 in games started by Adam Wainwright, Chris Carpenter and Jaime Garcia but 15-21 otherwise.The Cubs already led 2-0 in the fifth when St. Louis second baseman Skip Schumaker botched a double play relay. Soriano then lined his homer into the left-field bleachers. In the sixth, nobody caught Starlin Castro’s infield pop, which fell for an RBI single.Colvin opened the game with his first career leadoff homer. He is the first left-handed-hitting Cubs rookie with 14 home runs since Rafael Palmeiro in 1987.Soto hit his 14th on the first pitch of the fourth inning and has homered in three straight games. He went deep only 11 times last season after hitting 23 as the 2008 NL rookie of the year.

NOTES—Carlos Zambrano, suspended by the team after a June 25 altercation with teammates, could return by late next week after a few more minor-league conditioning appearances. At that time, manager Lou Piniella said, Zambrano is expected to apologize….RHP P.J. Walters pitched two perfect innings for the Cardinals after being called up from Triple-A Memphis…..Piniella, who will retire at season’s end, didn’t have a prototypical leadoff man during his four seasons on the North Side. “That’s something that has to be addressed,” he said, with GM Jim Hendry standing close by…..Both Piniella and childhood buddy La Russa had brief apprenticeships before beginning long managing careers. Both said Ryne Sandberg’s lack of experience shouldn’t work against him as Hendry searches for Piniella’s replacement. “It just depends on who believes in you,” La Russa said. Added Piniella: “Either you can manage or you can’t.”

SPOKANE—In a battle of two of the best teams in the Arena Football League, the Rush came up just short, falling to the Spokane Shock 63-49 Friday night in front of a sellout crowd at Spokane Arena.It what very may well be a preview of a first round playoff matchup, the Rush (10-6) and Shock (13-2) traded blows for most of the game, with the two offenses combining to score touchdowns on the first 15 drives of the game.However, a Spokane goal line stand late in the fourth quarter proved to be the difference.With the Spokane leading 56-49, the Rush had first-and-goal from the Shock 4-yard line. After three of running plays moved the ball to the 1-yard line, Rush quarterback J.J. Raterink looked for receiver Syvelle Newton in the back on the end zone on fourth down. The pass sailed over Newton’s head, causing the Rush to turn the ball over on downs.That proved the turning point in the game.On the ensuing Spokane possession, Shock QB Kyle Rowley – who completed 24 of 31 passes for 323 yards and seven TDs – marched the team 49 yards, capping the drive with a TD strike to Greg Orton to put the Shock up 63-49 with one minute left to go.

“We played the best team in the AFL on their home field tonight and battled them for most of the game,” said Rush head coach Mike Hohensee. “Their defense stepped up and made the first stop of the game and it proved to be the difference. With a bye next week, we now have to weeks to focus on preparing for the playoffs.”

With one minute remaining, the Rush still had hope of getting a score and converting an on-side kick to try and get back in the game.However, after once again getting to first-and-goal from the Shock 4-yard line, the Rush could not score.On fourth-and-goal from the 4, Raterink attempted to hit Newton for the TD, but his pass was intercepted.The Shock took over with 20 seconds remaining and ran out the clock for the victory.Making only his second start of the year, Raterink played like a veteran, completing 24 of 41 passes for six touchdowns and one interception. His favorite target proved to be Newton who grabbed eight catches for 139 yards and three touchdowns.

NOTES—With the win, the Shock locked up home field advantage throughout the playoffs. The Rush, on the other hand, will have to wait to see who it will be playing in the first round. Depending on how Milwaukee and Arizona finish the season, the Rush could be the second, third or fourth seed in the National Conference. If the Rush finishes as the fourth seed, the team will find itself right back here in Spokane in two weeks to open the postseason.

ROSEMONT—Taj McWilliams-Franklin scored 18 points, Marshall High School Alum Cappie Pondexter had 16 and the New York Liberty beat the Sky 79-71 on Friday night.Nicole Powell added 11 points to help the Liberty (12-11) win for the seventh time in 10 games and complete a sweep of the four-game season series. McWilliams-Franklin shot 8 for 11 from the field.New York moved above .500 for the first time since beating the Sky in the Liberty’s season-opener, and took over sole possession of fifth place in the Eastern Conference – one-game behind fourth-place Connecticut and three behind first-place Indiana.Epiphanny Prince scored 14 points to lead the last-place Sky (11-12). Dominique Canty had 13 points, Sylvia Fowles added 12 points and 16 rebounds and Jia Perkins also scored 12.Pondexter hit a tiebreaking 3-pointer to start a 10-0 run that gave the Liberty a 71-61 lead with 6:46 left.The Sky got no closer than eight points the rest of the way.Fowles finished 4 for 11 from the field, including 1 for 7 in the second half.The Liberty were 9 for 19 on 3-pointers, with Powell and Leilani Mitchell making three apiece. Mitchell is 11 for 19 (58 percent) on 3s over the last three games, making at least three each time. The Sky managed just 3 of 17 from beyond the arc.Trailing by nine points early in the third quarter, the Liberty used a 14-2 run to take a 55-52 with about 3 1/2 minutes left in the period. Plenette Pierson hit two free throws to give New York the lead and then her layup put them up three.Mistie Bass and Prince had consecutive layups to put the Sky ahead 57-56 with 1 1/2 minutes left in the third, but Powell hit a 3 and McWilliams-Franklin made a jumper to give the Liberty a four-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.Prince had two layups in the opening minute of the final quarter to tie the score at 61-all.The Liberty then had their decisive run.New York opened the game with three consecutive 3s for an early 9-3 lead on the way to a 21-19 advantage after one quarter.The Sky scored the first eight points of the second quarter and briefly gave up the lead as Prince scored six points to help the Sky take a 44-37 advantage at halftime.The Sky now hopes to bounce back as it starts a five-game road trip at San Antonio on Saturday.

SEATTLE — The White Sox are in first place, yet they are far from cruising.After Bobby Jenks’ second last-inning meltdown in four days cost  the Sox another victory Wednesday night in a 2-1, 11-inning loss to the woeful Seattle Mariners, manager Ozzie Guillen put the closer’s job up for grabs.He thinks Jenks has lost his velocity. Jenks disputed that.Guillen then mentioned All-Star reliever Matt Thornton, former Mariners closer J.J. Putz — who has a team-record streak of 25 consecutive scoreless appearances going — and Sergio Santos as potential replacement for Jenks, who has blown two of 22 chances and has an ERA of 5.09.Franklin Gutierrez’s two-run single off Jenks in the bottom of the 11th sent the Mariners to only their fourth victory in 18 games. They were the first runs Seattle had scored in 27 innings.

Ageless Omar Vizquel looked like the 43-year-old star after singling home Gordon Beckham with two outs in the top of the 11th against Brandon League (7-6) for the game’s first run.But Jenks (1-3), who surrendered four runs without getting an out in the ninth Sunday against the Twins, allowed a bunt single up the first-base line by Seattle’s Jack Wilson leading off the bottom of the inning.Ichiro Suzuki sacrificed him to second. Wilson advanced to third on a line-drive single by Chone Figgins, who stole second.Alex Rios’ throw home on Gutierrez’s single to center was late and cut off in the infield. Figgins slid home and then ran into the infield to join his teammates as they mobbed Gutierrez.Seattle got eight innings of two-hit ball from Felix Hernandez.The Sox lost for the fourth time in six games and blew a chance for its first three-game sweep in Seattle since July 30-Aug. 1, 1993.Guillen noted it took strong defense to help Jenks to a scoreless finish of the 4-0 victory Tuesday.Jenks thinks he’s the same pitcher he was while converting 15 consecutive save chances from May 9 until Wednesday. Hernandez was cruising toward his fifth complete game — plus one nine-inning outing — in seven starts when Wakamatsu unexpectedly pulled him after eight innings and 93 pitches. It was his lowest pitch count since May 7, and he ace had allowed only two singles and retired his final 17 batters. He struck out eight and walked no one.Hernandez was not happy in the dugout when Wakamatsu stopped him from going back on the field. And the $78 million ace was still fuming after the game.Closer David Aardsma hit Pierre with a pitch and walked Vizquel with one out in the ninth. But he got Alex Rios to fly out and then struck out Paul Konerko on a high pitch. Konerko appeared to check his swing, but first-base umpire Jeff Kellogg said he did not. Konerko tossed his bat high toward the dugout in disgust.

NOTES—Quentin rested his bruised right hand for the third consecutive game, but took batting practice. Quentin, his 19 home runs and 64 RBI are expected back for the first time in five days in Friday night’s series opener at Oakland. … Russell Branyan missed second successive game with back spasms that Wakamatsu thinks will keep Seattle’s only consistent home run threat out a couple more days, into a weekend series against Boston.

NOTES—Bench coach Alan Trammell said he appreciates having his name mentioned as a possible successor for Piniella, adding it’s too early to talk about that with more than two months left in the season. Trammell managed Detroit from 2003-05 and compiled a 186-300 record, including a 119-loss season in his first year. “Losing 119 games and you’re almost part of baseball history in a negative way that certainly tests you in a lot of ways,” Trammell said. Trammell, a star shortstop for the Tigers who also works with Cubs infielders, said he does want to continue to be involved in the game, whether it be coaching or managing…..Astros ace Roy Oswalt, also rumored to be moving at or before the trade deadline, said after the game his preference would be to join a team that has a chance to be in the playoffs. “I’m just going to wait until they come to me and ask me what they have for a deal and what they are thinking about,” he said. “Wait for my options and go from there.”

NOTES—Guillen said he likely will rest Quentin until Friday at Oakland. He said the right fielder felt fine, but the manager wants him to have four full days off, including Thursday’s travel day. He hurt the hand in the sixth inning Sunday at Minnesota. … Wakamatsu said his Mariners likely will be without leading slugger Russell Branyan (back spasms) for a couple more days.

NOTES—Dobbs’ solo drive off Cashner in the eighth was his seventh career pinch-hit homer….Carlos Zambrano could rejoin the Cubs by the end of the month after undergoing anger management counseling following his dugout confrontation with Derrek Lee. Lou Piniella says the right-hander likely will throw a simulated game on Monday at the team’s training complex in Mesa, Ariz., and pitch for Triple-A Iowa later this week. Piniella says Zambrano could rejoin the Cubs during their six-game road trip that starts July 26.