Not to be outdone by the Cubs, the White Sox called a players-only meeting before Wednesday night’s game against Baltimore in hopes of ending a three-game losing streak.
This one, however, actually might have done some good.
Albert Belle ended a 1-for-28 slump with a double and a three-run homer and Doug Drabek scattered three hits over eight innings as the Sox beat Baltimore 9-3 at a cold, windy Comiskey Park.
Drabek, who gave up 13 runs and 15 hits in 7 1/3 innings in his first two starts, picked up his first Sox victory.
“Drabek did a great job,” Sox manager Terry Bevington said. “He pitched aggressively and had command of his pitches.”
The Sox had lost six of their last seven after being swept by Texas in a two-game series. But the players’ meeting cleared the air about a 3-9 start and the team’s poor hitting.
“We just talked about how we need to keep playing and let our ability take over,” shortstop Ozzie Guillen said. “We just made sure everyone was OK with everything. We have enough talent here to come out of this.”
They did it by pounding Orioles starter Shawn Boskie (0-1) for six hits and nine runs.
Dave Martinez’s three-run triple keyed a four-run Sox first. The Sox added another run in the second when Orioles right-fielder Pete Incaviglia dropped Frank Thomas’ flyball at the warning track, allowing Tony Phillips to score.
Harold Baines led off the third with a homer, his second in as many games.
Belle made it 9-1 when he homered over the left-field wall to score Phillips and Ray Durham. It was Belle’s first multihit game since he went 2 for 4 in a 5-3 victory over Detroit on April 6.
