Home cooking was just as satisfying for the White Sox this weekend as it was for the Cubs the previous weekend.
Fueled by home runs from Carlos Quentin, Brian Anderson and Jim Thome and energized by the six-hit pitching of Mark Buehrle, the Sox completed their first U.S. Cellular Field sweep of the Cubs with a 5-1 victory Sunday night, payback for the Cubs’ sweep at Wrigley Field a week earlier.
Lou Piniella apparently thought the surroundings were too comfortable for the Sox on the way to a sixth consecutive home win. Home plate umpire Rob Drake ejected Piniella in the second inning after the Cubs’ manager left the dugout to challenge first-base umpire Chad Fairchild’s ruling that Joe Crede checked his swing on an 0-2 pitch.
Fairchild warned Piniella not to come onto the field, as managers are not allowed to argue ball and strike calls. Piniella stopped but shouted a few words within listening distance of Drake, who was a few steps behind Piniella.
Chants of “Sweep, Sweep” echoed throughout the ballpark after Thome launched his 522nd home run with two outs in the eighth to give the Sox a 5-1 lead and move past Willie McCovey and Ted Williams for sole possession of 16th place on the career home run list.
The Cubs’ frustration became complete in the ninth when Mark DeRosa was doubled off second base after Jim Edmonds lined out to first with the Cubs attempting to rally against Sox closer Bobby Jenks.
It was a festive weekend for the Sox (46-35), who maintained their 11/2-game lead in the American League Central. The Cubs (49-33) had plenty to digest on their flight to San Francisco — the season’s first four-game losing streak cost them possession of the major leagues’ best record.
Geovany Soto ripped a double off the bottom of the center-field fence with one out in the second, and the Cubs went on to load the bases with two out. But Buehrle induced No. 9 hitter Ronny Cedeno to fly to center to end the threat.
The Sox’s Alexei Ramirez, meanwhile, strengthened his case as an American League Rookie of the Year candidate with another exceptional defensive play to go with the remarkable offensive production he has generated since taking over the starting second base job on May 16.
Ramirez made backhand stop and glove-hand flip to second to turn Ryan Theriot’s sharp grounder into a force play in the third. Two batters later, with runners at first and second, Ramirez caught Aramis Ramirez’s line drive and quickly threw to first. Derrek Lee had retreated to the bag, but first baseman Nick Swisher threw from his back to second to nail Theriot and complete the inning-ending double play.
The Sox’s ability to finally keep Aramis Ramirez quiet was one of the major keys to their sweep of the Cubs, which gained them a split of the six-game City Series. Ramirez was 0-for-13 at U.S. Cellular Field after hitting four homers against the Sox the previous weekend.
Buehrle, meanwhile, had retired 10 of 11 batters before Crede allowed DeRosa’s hard grounder to skip through his legs for a two-base error in the seventh that led to a run and brought Kosuke Fukudome to the plate representing the go-ahead run.
Buehrle whiffed Fukudome to end the threat. He has a 1.15 ERA in his last five starts.
Quentin, deemed expendable by Arizona over the winter, continued his push for an All-Star Game invitation by cranking Sean Marshall’s first pitch of the fourth over the left-field fence for his 19th homer.
Anderson, getting a start against the left-handed Marshall, belted a two-run homer to left-center in the fifth that gave Buehrle a more comfortable cushion.
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mgonzales@tribune.com
