It may be too little too late for the Chicago White Sox to game set against the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field.
Chicago is seven games off the lead in the American League Central Division and sits 14 games out in the Wild Card race. It ended a two-game slide and won for the third time in eight tries with Friday's 4-2 win over the Mariners in the series opener.
Brent Lillibridge clubbed a two-run homer and Alex Rios recorded two hits and an RBI for the White Sox.
"It was exciting," said Lillibridge, a native of Everett, Washington. "I grew up watching games here. ... As a fan of the Mariners [growing up], to hit one at their park is very special. I won't forget it."
Jake Peavy was able to even his record at 6-6 on the season after he held Seattle to a pair of runs and seven hits in six innings. Chris Sale worked the ninth for his fifth save. Chicago is expected to place Carlos Quentin on the disabled list with a shoulder injury and call up Cuban prospect Dayan Viciedo.
John Danks draws the start for the Pale Hose tonight and he's 5-9 with a 3.88 earned run average in 21 starts. Danks has won five of his last six decisions and earned his first victory of the season on June 6 versus Seattle in a 3-1 victory. He allowed one unearned run that day over 7 1/3 innings. He is 5-4 with a 3.09 ERA in 10 career starts against the Mariners.
Danks did not figure into the decision of his recent start, a 3-2 win last Saturday over the Texas Rangers in which he was reached for two runs in seven innings. The lefty is just 1-6 in nine road starts this season.
The Mariners had won two straight and three of four games before dropping the opener of this series.
Starter Charlie Furbush allowed all of Chicago's runs in five innings of work to absorb the loss for Seattle, which was coming off a series victory in Cleveland.
"He made it hard for himself. He threw a lot of pitches early on," Mariners manager Eric Wedge said of Furbush.
Miguel Olivo homered and both Ichiro Suzuki and Franklin Gutierrez finished with two hits in a losing effort. The Mariners are scheduled to host the LA Angels of Anaheim for four games on this current homestand.
Michael Pineda hasn't recorded a decision in three straight starts and the rookie gets the nod for Seattle tonight. Pineda tossed six innings in Sunday's 8-7 loss at Tampa Bay and allowed three runs -- two earned -- and six hits with five strikeouts and no walks.
The rookie right-hander is 9-7 in 24 starts to go along with a 3.73 ERA. He lost to the White Sox back in June and gave up two runs over seven innings of that 3-1 loss at U.S. Cellular Field. Pineda, an All-Star this season, is 5-2 with a 2.86 ERA in 10 starts at Safeco Field.
The White Sox are 5-2 versus the Mariners this season and 14-3 in this series since the start of the 2010 campaign.