Kurt Suzuki hit a go-ahead home run in the 10th inning, and the Oakland Athletics capitalized on Juan Pierre’s dropped fly ball in the ninth to rally to a 2-1 victory over the White Sox on Monday night.The White Sox wasted a dominant pitching performance by Mark Buehrle with their second ninth-inning implosion of the season. Buehrle was lifted after eight scoreless innings and 99 pitches. He allowed only three baserunners — none past first base.Matt Thorton, who already had two blown saves in two opportunities, came on and allowed a leadoff double to Andy LaRoche in the ninth.One out later, Daric Barton hit a deep fly that Pierre dropped in the left-field corner, allowing pinch-runner Cliff Pennington to easily score from second and tie the game 1-1. Pierre also had a dropped fly in Friday’s loss to the Rays, which helped Tampa Bay rally from three runs down in the ninth to win.Suzuki put the A’s ahead on a two-out solo shot off Jesse Crain (0-1) in the 10th. His line drive barely got over the wall in left.Tyson Ross (1-0) pitched three scoreless innnings in his major-league debut and Brian Fuentes pitched a perfect 10th for his fourth save. Pierre, who was greeted by loud boos, grounded out to end it. The pitching matchup between lefties Buehrle and Dallas Braden marked the 21st time in major-league history opposing starting pitchers who have thrown a perfect game have faced each other.Buehrle, who pitched a perfect game on July 23, 2009, against the Rays and a no-hitter April 18, 2007, against Texas, appeared to have no-hit stuff again. He retired the first 10 batters before walking Barton in the fourth. Buehrle quickly made up for it by getting Josh Willingham to ground back to him to start an inning-ending double play.Oakland didn’t get its first hit until Suzuki led off the sixth with a single. White Sox second baseman Gordon Beckham had a chance to retire Suzuki, but he couldn’t come up with a sliding catch in foul territory. Buehrle, who didn’t give up his next hit until a two-out single to Willingham in the seventh, struck out one and walked one in his third start this season. It was the ninth time Buehrle has taken a no-hitter into the sixth inning.Buehrle finally got some help in the fifth on Brent Lillibridge’s first homer of the season. After retiring the first two batters, Lillibridge tagged Braden’s first pitch to the bleachers in left-center, putting the White Sox ahead.In his second start, Braden allowed one run on five hits. He struck out seven and walked two. He didn’t allow a hit until an infield single by Alex Rios in the fourth inning.Paul Konerko, who was named co-AL player of the week, extended his 11-game hitting streak with a single in the sixth inning.Before the game, the A’s and Trevor Cahill reached agreement on a new five-year contract worth $30.5 million, which takes him through all three of his arbitration-eligible seasons and first potential year of free agency.The 23-year-old is 1-0 with a 1.42 ERA in two starts this season. He was the A’s opening day starter after winning 18 games last year with a 2.97 ERA in his second season in the majors. Cahill was a prime reason Oakland led the AL in ERA (3.56) and shutouts (17) in 2010 while holding opponents to a .245 batting average.

NOTES—Ozzie Guillen still doesn’t have a clear timetable when DH Adam Dunn is going to be back in the lineup. “When he tells me he’s ready, I’m going to give him an extra day,” said Guillen. Dunn has missed six straight games after undergoing emergency appendectomy surgery on Wednesday. … RHP Jake Peavy is scheduled to throw 90 pitches in a rehab start on Wednesday. … The last time two opposing perfect game winners faced was when Arizona’s Randy Johnson faced San Diego’s David Wells on April 24, 2007.

Paul Konerko homered twice Sunday and is off to a torrid start, yet he refuses to take any credit for the White Sox’s early success.Konerko went deep in the first and fifth innings and Gavin Floyd delivered a masterful performnace on the mound as the White Sox beat the slumping Tampa Bay Rays 6-1.Konerko has three homers and 11 RBI through the team’s first nine games. He has a 10-game hitting streak dating back to last year and has driven in a run in all but one game so far this season.Still, the White Sox captain diverted credit to Juan Pierre, Gordon Beckham and even hitting coach Greg Walker.Floyd (1-0) struck out eight, allowing just four hits and one unearned run. He retired 16 of the first 18 batters he faced. Floyd allowed a one-out double to Matt Joyce in the second, but then retired the next 12 Rays.Floyd went 10-13 with a 4.08 ERA last year, but also went on a 12-start tear where he posted a 1.19 ERA in the middle of the season. The White Sox are hoping to see more of that version of Floyd this season.The loss dropped the Rays to 1-8, the worst start to a season in franchise history. Tampa Bay has scored 11 runs in its eight losses, and put nine runs on the board in its only win.Sam Fuld broke Floyd’s streak with a double in the sixth, and Johnny Damon followed with a single. With runners on first and third, Floyd caught Damon trying to steal second, but his wild throw ended up in center field, allowing Fuld to score.Dan Johnson then hit a grounder to first, which deflected off Konerko’s glove. Beckham recovered and threw to Floyd, who dropped the ball while removing it from his glove.First base umpire Doug Eddings called Johnson safe, but after Guillen came out to dispute the call, the umps convened and reversed it, prompting a visit from Rays manager Joe Maddon, who argued vehemently and was ejected by Eddings.At one point during the argument, Maddon motioned as if he were throwing Eddings out of the game.Jeff Niemann (0-2) only made it 46 pitches into his second start of the season. He allowed five runs on five hits over 2 2/3 innings. Three of the runs charged to him were earned.The White Sox established their offense early, courtesy of two first-inning home runs. Beckham drove a 1-0 pitch off the top of the left field wall that bounced over for his second of the year, and two batters later, Konerko launched the first pitch he saw 379 feet into the left field seats.In the second, Brent Morel knocked in Mark Teahen with an RBI double, then came around to score on Juan Pierre’s single, extending the lead to 4-0.A.J. Pierzynski chased Niemann in the third inning with an RBI single. Andy Sonnanstine came on in relief, retiring five of six batters until Konerko came to the plate in the fifth, sending a 2-1 pitch over the bullpen in left field.Sonnanstine gave his manager something to gush about, allowing just three hits over the last 5 1/3 innings for the Rays, Konerko’s long ball the lone blemish on his day.

NOTES—Rays 3B Felipe Lopez was not in the lineup, a day after a confrontation with Pierzynski. Lopez maintained his innocence after hitting a ninth inning home run Saturday, flipping his bat in the direction of White Sox LHP Chris Sale. Maddon said he hopes to talk to Guillen about the incident to make sure there are no lingering issues. “That’s not who we are,” Maddon said of the bat flip. “We don’t do that here.” …Adam Dunn (appendicitis) took batting practice Sunday and according to Guillen, should have a clear timetable for his return by Monday. Dunn had surgery on Tuesday and was originally expected to miss five games.

MILWAUKEE—Casey McGehee was in awe of Kerry Wood’s fastball while the two were with the Cubs when McGehee was still a prospect in 2004.McGehee can catch up with the veteran reliever’s hardest pitches now. He delivered a pinch-hit, two-run homer with two outs in the eighth inning off Wood and the Milwaukee Brewers rallied to beat the Cubs 6-5 on Sunday.Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun each hit a two-run homer for Milwaukee, which has won five of six after an 0-4 start.This was the Brewers’ most dramatic win this season.McGehee had been mired in a 3-for-22 slump this homestand and didn’t get the start. He’d expected to clear his thoughts with the day off before heading to the plate in a crucial situation.Wood (0-1) walked Yuniesky Betancourt after getting ahead 0-2 to open the eighth and Betancourt reached second on a sacrifice bunt. George Kottaras struck out, bringing up McGehee.McGehee hit the second fastball he saw into the Cubs’ bullpen in right.Aramis Ramirez drove in three runs and had three doubles, but the bullpen couldn’t hold on.After Yovani Gallardo labored through five innings, Milwaukee’s bullpen ran into trouble in the seventh, with relievers Sean Green, Mitch Stetter and Kameron Loe each allowing a runner to load the bases with one out.Tyler Colvin’s RBI groundout off Loe (1-0) gave the Cubs a 5-4 lead, but it didn’t last thanks to McGehee.Brewers closer John Axford allowed a leadoff single to Marlon Byrd in the ninth, but Byrd was caught stealing by Kottaras, and Axford retired Ramirez and Carlos Pena for his third save in four opportunities.Ramirez had started this road trip that continues Monday in Houston 1 for 8 before doubling down the left-field line in the first inning to drive in two. Fielder tied it in the bottom of the first with his second homer.The Cubs added runs in the second on Darwin Barney’s RBI single and the third on Ramirez’s run-scoring double to put the Cubs up 4-2, but Milwaukee tied it again on Braun’s two-run shot off Casey Coleman in the bottom of the third.Coleman got the start because Randy Wells (right forearm) is on the disabled list.Cubs right fielder Kosuke Fukudome saved a run in the second with a diving catch for the third out and made a shoestring grab with two on and one out in the fifth to keep the game tied.After doubling for the third time in the fifth, Ramirez was thrown out at the plate when third baseman Craig Counsell went home with Geovany Soto’s slow roller to set up the back-and-forth finish.

NOTES—Coleman hit his second career double in the fourth. … With a day off on Monday, Brewers RHP Takashi Saito (hamstring) is not expected to go on the disabled list despite his nagging injury. …Alfonso Soriano also was out of the starting lineup, but pinch hit in the sixth for Fukudome, who left with a mild hamstring strain and is day to day. … Brewers LHP Manny Parra (back) will report to Triple-A Nashville on Tuesday for his second rehab start.

The Blackhawks got every break in the world and still coild not take advantage.They beat St.Louis Wednesday night when replay officials in Toronto allowed a Mariab Hossa goal that 1)newver crossed the goal line, 2)Hossa kicked into the net, and there was also a stick above the shoulder that the zebras also missed. In this 4-3 loss to Detroit, the Hawks had three power plays(0 for three)while the Red Wings never got a man advantage despite Duncan Keith high sticking Johan Franzen and opening up a cut, and Patrick Kane got away with an obvious hold before stealing the puck and setting up Michael Frolik’s first period goal. With all of these ‘breaks’, they needed some help to get back to the postseason for a third straight year.On their home ice, the defending Stanley Cup champs needed one point Sunday against their most fierce rival, the Detroit Red Wings, and they were in. Didn’t get it.The Red Wings  put the Hawks into a wait-and-watch mode with its collective fingers crossed. And the Blackhawks got the assistance they had to have Sunday night when the Minnesota Wild beat Dallas 5-3, giving the lucky Hawks the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.As the eighth seed, the Blackhawks will face top-seeded Vancouver in the first round. The Blackhawks have beaten the Canucks in the conference semifinals in each of the last two postseasons. The Hawks were 2-2 this season against Vancouver.

“We know playing against Vancouver we got be special and got to be great,” Quenneville said. “Anything can happen this year. Everybody is close, all the teams are basically comparable.”

Quenneville said the Blackhawks are fortunate they were able to get in after losing earlier in the day. And now they have to take advantage of that.

“Certainly we got lucky,” he said. “We got a break, a huge break at the end.”

Jimmy Howard made 33 saves, the Red Wings killed a late power play and finally solved rookie goalie Corey Crawford, who was 4-0 against the Red Wings. Toews and his teammates will be able to redeem themselves if they now make another deep playoff run after getting a second life.Drew Miller, Danny Cleary, Tomas Holmstrom and Pavel Datsyuk scored for the Red Wings, who had already locked down the No. 3 playoff seed in the West and were trying to build momentum for the playoffs where they will open against the Phoenix Coyotes.The Blackhawks had beaten the Red Wings 4-2 Friday night in Detroit.The Hawks went on a power play with 2:58 left when Jonathan Ericsson was called for holding with Detroit nursing its one-goal lead, but the Red Wings and Howard killed it. Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith couldn’t get off a shot from in front of the goal as the final seconds clicked off.Michael Frolik, Brent Seabrook and Keith had goals for the Hawks.The Red Wings took the lead with a pair of goals 62 seconds apart in the second.Miller’s tip-in less than two minutes into the third period put the Red Wings up 3-1 and momentarily stunned the crowd at the United Center. But the Hawks answered minutes later when Seabrook’s slap shot from above the right circle found its way past a screened Howard, cutting the lead to one.But about four minutes later, Cleary took a nifty pass from Todd Bertuzzi and flipped it past Corey Crawford to give the Red Wings a 4-2 lead. Keith’s goal, when he reached in for a loose puck and shoved it past Howard, cut it to a one-goal deficit with just more than eight minutes remaining.The goals in the second period from Holmstrom and Datsyuk gave the Red Wings a 2-1 lead and wiped out the Blackhawks’ momentum from a goal minutes earlier by Frolik.Patrick Kane stole the puck from Brad Stuart near the boards, hesitated with it and then fed Frolik, whose shot from between the circles at 5:18 of the second gave the Blackhawks a 1-0 lead.But less than two minutes later, Holmstrom gathered in a puck that had come all the way around the boards and raced down the left side, powering in a shot to beat Crawford and tying the game at 1-1 with his unassisted goal.It didn’t take the Red Wings long to score again.After a long shot by Bertuzzi was apparently blocked by Nick Leddy, Cleary got the loose puck to Datsyuk in the slot and he rifled it past Crawford for a 2-1 lead.Howard made a nice save on Patrick Sharp as he plowed through the crease and then flagged down a shot by Kane with his glove to preserve Detroit’s one-goal lead.Crawford made a point-blank save against Johan Franzen about halfway through the first period when the Blackhawks kept the puck in their offensive end most of the period and had two power plays, but came up empty. Jake Dowell had three cracks at the puck from beside the goal after a cross-ice pass from Bryan Bickell, but Howard turned him away to keep the game scoreless.

NOTES—The Red Wings played without injured leading scorer Henrik Zetterberg and defenseman Niklas Kronwall. Babcock said it’s likely Zetterberg will not start the series against the Coyotes….Troy Brouwer missed a third game with an apparent shoulder injury.

ORLANDO—The Bulls played down to the very short-handed Orlando Magic,but still won their 60th game of the season as Derrick Rose had 39 points and five assists and Luol Deng added 15 to help out on a very close 102-99 win on Sunday.Orlando’s Jameer Nelson appeared to tie it with a 3-pointer at the buzzer, but an official review upheld an initial call of no basket. Ryan Anderson led the Magic with a career-high 28 points, Jason Richardson added 24 and Nelson had 17.The Bulls won their seventh consecutive game and won for the 19th time in 21 games. The Bulls also kept alive their chances of finishing with the NBA’s best record, which would give them home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.The Magic’s loss snaps a two-game winning streak and drops their record to 1-3 this season without center Dwight Howard. He sat out Sunday, serving his second suspension of the season after picking up his 18th technical foul.

With or without Manny Ramirez, the Tampa Bay Rays aren’t hitting. This time, they were shut down by a 28-year-old journeyman making his third career start.A.J. Pierzynski hit a two-run double and Phil Humber pitched a career-high six innings to lead the White Sox over the sputtering Rays 4-2 on Saturday in a game that got a little testy at the end.Wade Davis tossed six solid innings for Tampa Bay, giving up two runs and five hits. But he was outdone by Humber, who allowed one run in six innings of his own.One day after Ramirez abruptly retired rather than face a 100-game suspension for a second violation of baseball’s drug policy, the Rays dropped to 1-7.The Rays kept it close most of the way, but a two-out double by Pierzynski in the seventh gave the White Sox a 4-1 lead.Tampa Bay’s Felipe Lopez appeared to take exception to an inside pitch from Chris Sale in the ninth inning, then flipped his bat in the lanky left-hander’s direction after hitting a solo home run.When Lopez crossed home plate, he and Pierzynski went nose-to-nose and jawed at each other for a couple of seconds, but there was no pushing or shoving.After the game, Lopez said the bat toss was unintentional.Lopez was led away by Maddon as he made his way toward the dugout. Sale finished up for his first save of the season.After a ninth-inning comeback Friday that led to their only win, the Rays again struggled at the plate and were unable to give Davis (0-2) much support. Davis improved from his first start of the season, when he gave up four runs and eight hits in 6 1/3 innings of a home loss to Baltimore.With the score tied at 1, Paul Konerko led off the fourth with a double. After Carlos Quentin struck out, Pierzynski walked and Mark Teahen drew a two-out walk to load the bases. Brent Morel gave the White Sox a 2-1 lead when he blooped a broken-bat infield single over Davis’ head.The damage could’ve been a lot worse, but Davis got help from right fielder Sam Fuld, who made a spectacular diving catch on the warning track to rob Juan Pierre of at least three RBI.After a leadoff walk to Dan Johnson in the second, Humber (1-0) gave up an RBI double to Ben Zobrist.Morel opened the third with a double off the left-field wall and scored on Gordon Beckham’s sacrifice fly.

NOTES—Ozzie Guillen said there is no timetable on a return for DH Adam Dunn, who is recovering from an appendectomy. Dunn said Friday was the worst he’s felt since having the procedure, but on Saturday he felt better and was able to take a few swings in the cage at less than 100 percent. … Maddon said he’s turned the page on Ramirez’s retirement. “The Manny thing, I honestly don’t see a big angle on that at all. Quite frankly, if you did not ask me that question I would’ve never thought about it,” he said. … Rays LF Johnny Damon tied Ramirez and Richie Ashburn (2,574) for 72nd place on the career hits list with a single in the third. … Konerko’s double in the fourth moved him past Nellie Fox into third place on the White Sox career list with 336.

MILWAUKEE—Chris Narveson labored through the spring, showing little signs of the pitcher who earned the fifth spot in the starting rotation last year. After two starts, no one for Milwaukee has been better.Narveson pitched seven shutout innings, Prince Fielder drove in four runs with a career-high three doubles and the Brewers beat the Cubs 6-0 Saturday night.The 29-year-old left-hander finished his final three starts of the spring by giving up 14 runs over 14 innings. He hasn’t allowed anything when the games have counted, running his scoreless innings streak to 13 in a row.Narveson (1-0) struck out nine and worked out of trouble multiple times, different from his first start when he kept the Braves to just three hits before the bullpen blew his chance at the win.Fielder has been outstanding, too, after a slow start.Fielder began the season 3 for 17 without driving in a run in Milwaukee’s first five games. The last four, he’s 8 for 14 with a homer and nine RBI, and has been the biggest reason the Brewers have quickly forgotten their 0-4 start.He doubled in his first three at-bats in the first, third and fifth innings against Matt Garza (0-1) as Milwaukee built a 5-0 lead even though Garza had Fielder in two-strike holes the first two at-bats.Ryan Braun scored three runs and drove in another, and Nyjer Morgan continued his strong play since being acquired in a trade from Washington. He tripled, scored, walked with the bases loaded and made a leaping catch near the wall to keep Alfonso Soriano from an extra-base hit.Braun doubled to bring in Rickie Weeks in the first and scored on Fielder’s first double. In the third, Morgan tripled and Braun walked before Fielder brought them both home with his second extra-base hit. Fielder’s third double came with two outs in fifth after Braun had singled to make it 5-0. Narveson, who struggled in the first inning all last year, got the first two Cubs to begin his start before running into his toughest situation of the night.He allowed a double to Marlon Byrd, then struck out Aramis Ramirez on a wild pitch that allowed Ramirez to reach first without a throw. After a walk to Geovany Soto to load the bases, he struck out Carlos Pena to end the inning.Milwaukee’s defense also made several key plays to support Narveson.In the second, Morgan made a leaping catch of Soriano’s leadoff shot to left-center field and strong plays ended the fourth and fifth innings with multiple runners on base. The Cubs finished 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position.Garza struggled after striking out 12 and allowing 12 singles in a no-decision against Pittsburgh in first start and said six of the eight hits Milwaukee got off of him over 5 2/3 innings were with offspeed pitches.Narveson has thrived on those while running up his scoreless innings streak.

NOTES—Brewers LHP Manny Parra (back) threw two perfect innings at Class A Wisconsin in a rehab start….The Brewers expect C Jonathan Lucroy (pinkie) to return on next week’s road trip after a stint in Double-A Huntsville…..Brewers RHP Zack Greinke (rib) threw his second bullpen session Saturday and reported no pain……The Cubs had been 3-0 against left-handed starters this year…..With 42,478 fans, Miller Park surpassed 25 million total since opening in 2001.

CLEVELAND—For the first time since the final year of the Michael Jordan era, the road through the Eastern Conference playoffs will again go through the West Side.Carlos Boozer had 24 points and 11 rebounds, and the Bulls clinched the top seed in the East with a 93-82 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night.The Bulls, who have won six straight and 18 of 20, will have home-court advantage through the first three rounds of the playoffs. The Bulls hadn’t finished with the best record in the East since 1997-98, the most recent of their six NBA championships with Jordan.Boozer believes the team’s chemistry is a major reason for the success.Despite clinching the East, Thibodeau doesn’t plan on resting his key players. The Bulls, who have three games remaining, trail San Antonio by one game for the best record in the league.The Cavaliers were trying to win three in a row for the first time since Nov. 5-9. Coach Byron Scott was unhappy with Cleveland’s 16 turnovers that resulted in 16 points for the Bulls.The Bulls led 54-46 at halftime, but the Cavaliers cut the lead to three midway through the third quarter. The Bulls scored 10 straight points and ended the period on an 18-6 run.Hickson’s thunderous dunk brought the Cavaliers to 60-57 at the 7:06 mark of the quarter, but the Bulls scored six straight points, forcing Scott to call timeout. The run contiued on Deng’s layup and a basket by Boozer, giving the Bulls a 70-57 lead.Hickson scored two baskets for Cleveland, but the Bulls ended the quarter on an 8-2 run and led 78-63.Rose’s two free throws broke a 14-14 tie midway through the first quarter, giving the Bulls the lead for good. Cleveland cut the lead to 31-30 early in the second period, but the Bulls quickly built a 14-point lead.Alonzo Gee scored 11 points and Baron Davis added 10 for Cleveland.Before the game, the Cavaliers honored their Hall of Fame radio play-by-play man Joe Tait, who is retiring at the end of the season, his 39th announcing Cleveland’s games. A banner bearing Tait’s name was raised to the rafters next to the Cavaliers’ retired numbers. Tait has called 3,381 Cavaliers’ games. His last one will be Wednesday against Washington.

NOTES—Noah hit a hook shot from about 35 feet at the end of the first half, but it came after time ran out….The Bulls play their next two games on the road, Sunday at Orlando and Tuesday at New York…..Cavaliers F Samardo Samuels (groin) missed his third straight game. G-F Christian Eyenga has been benched for the last two games because he has missed two many defensive assignments.

DETROIT—The Blackhawks were the more desperate team and it showed.Brent Seabrook and Marian Hossa each had a goal and an assist to help the Hawks beat the Detroit Red Wings 4-2 on Friday.Battling for a playoff spot in the Western Conference, the defending Stanley Cup champions took control from the opening faceoff and led 3-0 just 8:45 into the game.Ben Smith and Brian Campbell also scored, Patrick Kane had two assists, and Corey Crawford made 26 saves.Drew Miller and Tomas Holmstrom scored for Detroit, third in the Western Conference. Jimmy Howard stopped 25 shots.The teams will finish the regular season Sunday with a rematch in the United Center.Seabrook opened the scoring just 27 seconds into the game when he put in a one-time shot from the bottom of the right circle. It was Seabrook’s eighth goal.Smith made it 2-0, at 6:07. After Kane knocked the puck away from Valtteri Filppula in the high slot area, it went right to Smith between the hashmarks and he beat Howard for his first career goal.Campbell’s fifth goal, at 8:45, made it 3-0. He moved in from the right circle, made a move past Howard and slid the puck into the empty net. Hossa scored on the power play 6:44 into the second period. It was his 25th goal.Miller put Detroit on the scoreboard with 22 seconds left in the middle period with his ninth goal. Miller tipped Johan Franzen’s pass past Crawford.Holmstrom’s 17th goal came with 1:20 left.

NOTES—Detroit was without C Henrik Zetterberg (lower-body injury) and D Niklas Kronwall (upper-body injuy). Both will also miss Sunday’s regular-season finale in the United Center. Zetterberg will be day-to-day for the playoffs and Kronwall is expected to be ready to play when the postseason begins….Troy Brouwer (upper body injury) missed his second game….Red Wings’ C Kris Draper was a healthy scratch….Tomas Kopecky left the ice and went to the dressing room holding the side of his head after Viktor Stalberg’s deflected shot hit Kopecky in the head with 8:26 left. Joel Queneville said Kopecky was OK after the game….The Red Wings have lost four straight to the Blackhawks….Smith is accustomed to good things happening to him at this time of year in Detroit. A year ago, he helped Boston College win the NCAA championship in the Frozen Four at Detroit’s Ford Field.

Dan Johnson hit a three-run homer to cap a five-run ninth, and the Tampa Bay Rays rallied for their first win of the season hours after Manny Ramirez retired, beating the White Sox 9-7 Friday night.The dramatic comeback ended a wild day in which Ramirez decided to call it quits rather than face a 100-game suspension for violating baseball’s drug policy for the second time.The Rays appeared to be on their way to another loss after dropping their first six games, but that changed in a hurry in the ninth.Trailing 7-4, pinch-hitter Elliot Johnson singled off Matt Thornton (0-1) leading off with a single and scored from second with one out when Alexei Ramirez threw wildly to first after fielding Sam Fuld’s grounder to short. Juan Pierre then dropped Johnny Damon’s fly to left, putting runners on first and second, before B.J. Upton delivered an RBI single to left to make it a one-run game.Dan Johnson then drove the first pitch out to right to make it 9-7.After Casey Kotchman flew to center, John Jaso singled. Will Ohman then retired Ben Zobrist on a fly to end the rally.That made a winner out of Adam Russell (1-0). Farnsworth pitched the ninth for his first save.Thornton, meanwhile, continues to struggle in the early going and blew his second save in as many chances.His meltdown spoiled a big day for Gordon Beckham and Mark Teahen, who each had three hits and a homer, and denied John Danks his first win. Alexei Ramirez went deep off James Shields, and the White Sox looked like they were going to win their third straight without slugger Adam Dunn, who’s recovering from an appendectomy.Instead, the Rays staged a dramatic rally. Even so, the big news came before the game.Manager Joe Maddon expected to have Manny Ramirez back in the cleanup spot after he had left the team earlier in the week to tend to what was called a personal matter.Instead, they were saying goodbye to one of the most accomplished and controversial sluggers the game has seen, someone they were just getting to know. The 12-time All-Star agreed to a $2 million, one-year contract with the defending AL East champions in the offseason, hoping to re-establish himself as an elite hitter, but that didn’t happen.Ramirez was suspended for 50 games for violating the drug policy in 2009, when he was with the Los Angeles Dodgers.Ramirez’s retirement is just another blow for a team off to its worst start. The Rays lost several players in the offseason including Carl Crawford and are without star third baseman Evan Longoria, who’s on the DL.Danks allowed four runs and six hits while walking four. He left leading 5-3 after Tampa Bay loaded the bases with none out in the seventh.Jesse Crain came on to face Damon, who had homered earlier, and got him to ground into a force that made it a one-run game. Upton then struck out and Johnson lined to center to end the rally.Crain retired the side in the eighth before Thornton coughed it up.Shields, meanwhile, had a rough time against the White Sox.He allowed five runs and eight hits and was lifted with none out in the seventh after he hit Brent Morel in the left wrist and a bunting Juan Pierre reached on an error by Johnson at first.Joel Peralta came on and tagged out Morel trying to score on a pitch that got by catcher Kelly Shoppach, who immediately left the game with a sore right knee and was replaced by Jaso.Shields quickly fell into a hole when Beckham drove a belt-high pitch out to left with one out in the first to give the Sox a 1-0 lead.The White Sox got two more with one out in the third on back-to-back doubles by Beckham and Alex Rios and a single off the left-field wall by Paul Konerko, giving him an RBI in each of the first seven games and extending his franchise record.Tampa Bay’s Sean Rodriguez tripled in a run in the fourth before Teahen answered with a solo shot in the bottom half, but the Rays weren’t finished.They scored two in the sixth on a solo homer by Damon with one out and an RBI bunt single down the first base line by Rodriguez after Upton walked and Johnson singled. Danks then struck out Shoppach and Zobrist to end the rally, and Ramirez drove one out to left in the bottom half to make it 5-3.

NOTES—The Rays recalled Kotchman to take Ramirez’s spot on the roster. … Chicago’s Jake Peavy, on the 15-day disabled list with tendinitis in his right shoulder, allowed two unearned runs and five hits in 3 2-3 innings for Double-A Birmingham at Montgomery. He threw 71 pitches, 43 for strikes.