BALTIMORE—Buck Showalter’s unbeaten run with the Baltimore Orioles is over, and the veteran manager found no consolation watching his last-place team put up a good fight against the AL Central-leading White Sox.Gavin Floyd allowed two runs in seven innings and Carlos Quentin homered in a 4-2 victory Saturday night.The Orioles had won four straight since Showalter made his debut on Tuesday, matching the longest winning streak of the season of the team with the worst record in the majors. Baltimore bolted to an early 2-0 lead in a bid to make it five in a row, but the margin failed to stand up.It was Showalter’s first loss since Oct. 1, 2006, with the Texas Rangers.After Quentin’s 22nd homer in the fourth inning, the Sox added single runs in the seventh and eighth against reliever Jason Berken (3-3) before scoring an unearned run in the ninth.Floyd (8-8) gave up six hits, walked two and struck out five to win his third straight start. The right-hander is 6-1 with a 1.17 ERA in his last nine outings.Matt Thornton worked the eighth, his 21st consecutive scoreless appearance, and J.J. Putz got three outs for his third save. Putz was used by manager Ozzie Guillen instead of his usual closer, Bobby Jenks, who is 0-2 with a 10.56 ERA since the All-Star break.Baltimore was held hitless after Felix Pie singled with no outs in the fourth inning — the fifth straight hit off Floyd.The Sox went up 3-2 in the eighth when Juan Pierre hit a leadoff single, took second on sacrifice bunt and scored when Alex Rios snapped a 4-for-37 skid with a single.Baltimore starter Kevin Millwood allowed four hits in six innings and left with a 2-1 lead. He had yielded five runs in each of his previous five appearances and hadn’t given up only one run in any start since April 11.Berken promptly gave up the advantage, however, in the seventh. After Alexei Ramirez drew a two-out walk, A.J. Pierzynski followed with an RBI double.Pierzynski hurt his left ankle on third base while advancing on the throw to the plate.Baltimore went up 1-0 when Adam Jones led off the second inning with his 16th home run, the first allowed by Floyd in 12 starts since June 2.The Orioles added a run in the third, but a baserunning error cost them a chance for more. After Nick Markakis hit a two-out double and scored on a single by Ty Wigginton, Luke Scott followed with a single. Wigginton headed for third, second-guessed his decision, went anyway and was thrown out to end the inning.Millwood pitched a scoreless first, no small feat considering he allowed at least two first-inning runs in 11 of his previous 12 starts.The exception occurred in the fourth, when Quentin hit a solo shot to center on a 3-1 pitch. It was the AL-high 24th homer allowed by Millwood.
NOTES—Pierre has hit in 14 straight games….Orioles C Matt Wieters has thrown out three would-be stealers in the last two games.Baltimore’s Cesar Izturis was 0 for 3. His next hit will be his 1,000th.