The South Side Rip Men were at it again Thursday.
The White Sox cleared the fences three times, giving them 13 home runs in three games and tying a franchise record with 51 this month.
But the biggest Sox hit Thursday was pinch-hitter Sandy Alomar Jr.’s two-run, two-out double that helped push the Sox to a 8-6 victory over Kansas City in 11 innings.
By completing a three-game sweep of the Royals, the Sox improved to 12-1 since July 18. That’s their best stretch since going 14-1 in June of 2000.
The Sox, who improved to a season-best six games above .500, cut Kansas City’s lead in the American League Central to one game, two in the loss column.
The Sox rallied in the 11th against right-hander Nate Field.
Paul Konerko singled off the left-field wall and Joe Crede drew a two-out walk.
Manager Jerry Manuel called on Brian Daubach to pinch-hit for Miguel Olivo, prompting Royals skipper Tony Pena to call on newly acquired lefty Graeme Lloyd.
Manuel then seated Daubach in favor of the right-handed hitting Alomar, who was 0-for-1 as a pinch-hitter this season.
Alomar ripped a double to right-center, driving in both pinch-runner Tony Graffanino and Crede. Roberto Alomar followed with a single to center, scoring his brother.
After throwing a scoreless 10th, Scott Schoeneweis earned his first victory for the Sox by holding the Royals to a Carlos Beltran homer in the 11th.
The Sox built a 5-3 lead after two Carlos Lee home runs and a two-run Konerko shot in the sixth. It marked Lee’s fifth career multihomer game.
His first was a mammoth drive that cleared the fountains in left-center field 425 feet from home plate.
The second was an opposite-field shot on a low fastball.
Esteban Loaiza was in position to improve to 14-5 after he gave up three earned runs over seven innings for his 19th quality starts in 22 tries.
But the Sox bullpen let him down.
Damaso Marte gave up a run in the eighth on three singles.
Tom Gordon then struggled through an adventurous ninth. After striking out leadoff man Desi Relaford and jumping ahead 0-2 on Joe Randa, Gordon lost control. He plunked Randa with a fastball and then threw four consecutive balls to Beltran.
Raul Ibanez lined a single to shallow left field that Lee managed to keep in front of him.
That loaded the bases for Ken Harvey, who popped up.
With two outs, Michael Tucker hit a three-hopper between first and second. Roberto Alomar, the 10-time Gold Glove winner, played it tentatively.
Instead of charging the ball, he retreated. After he fielded it, he slid on the infield grass in short right field. By the time he spun and threw to first, the speedy Tucker was safe, and Randa had scored.
Gordon retired Angel Berroa to end the inning, but it still marked the first blown Sox save since July 4, when Billy Koch gave up a game-ending three-run homer to Tampa Bay’s Carl Crawford.
