Jon Garland was at his best Wednesday night when he appeared on the verge of another tough setback.
Garland didn’t allow a run after the fourth inning and retired the final nine batters he faced. He was rewarded when the White Sox mounted a three-run rally in the eighth to seize a 5-2 victory over Tampa Bay.
The Sox, who are hitting .299 with runners in scoring position and .278 in the same situation with two outs, made their move in the eighth.
Jermaine Dye, who had a solo homer in the fifth and a sacrifice fly in the sixth, hit a two-out, go-ahead double. Dye is batting .588 with runners in scoring position with two outs and has driven in 28 runs in his past 24 games.
A.J. Pierzynski followed with a two-run double that helped the Sox (26-13) remain tied with Detroit for first place in the American League Central.
For Garland, the late rally made his performance even sweeter after getting tagged for seven runs in his previous start and questioning his confidence. His poise didn’t waver after allowing solo home runs to Greg Norton and Jonny Gomes that gave the Devil Rays a 2-0 lead after four innings.
“I’m going to try the next time and do the same thing,” said Garland, who was sporting a swollen knuckle on his right middle finger he got when he turned a Gomes grounder into a double play in the first. “Get ahead on the count, throw strikes and keep my team in the game.”
This was Garland’s best road start after coming into Wednesday’s game with a 9.10 road ERA.
