Major League Baseball

White Sox halt Yankees' win streak at 3

Published May. 1, 2010 10:04 p.m. ET

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Andruw Jones came out swinging after a little ump bump. A.J. Pierzynski hit hard, too, and that helped the Chicago White Sox slow down the New York Yankees.

Jones launched two more home runs off a shaky Javier Vazquez, Pierzynski boomed a go-ahead double in the seventh inning and the White Sox seesawed past the Yankees 7-6 Saturday.

``Always nice,'' Chicago manager Ozzie Guillen said. ``You know when you come to this ballpark with that ballclub, you better fight.''

The Yankees' three-game winning streak ended, and they also lost center fielder Curtis Granderson. He hurt his left groin while dashing on a hit-and-run single, badly hobbled into third and will now go on the 15-day disabled list with a moderate strain. There was no timetable for his return,

Yankees manager Joe Girardi's initial thought when he saw the injury unfold: ``He's out for a while.''

Jones and Vazquez both got off to stumbling starts. The White Sox slugger wound up enjoying the sunny afternoon, Vazquez got booed off the mound.

Jones was standing in the on-deck circle in the first inning when Gordon Beckham lifted a foul pop toward the seats. Yankees catcher Jorge Posada tossed his mask aside and it hit plate umpire Mark Wegner in the head. Wegner then stumbled a couple of steps and plowed into Jones, knocking him off-balance. All were OK, and the ball landed foul.

``I was watching the ball and all of a sudden he's bumping into me. He said, 'I got smoked in the head,''' Jones said.

Wegner was able to kid about it after the game.

``No suspension,'' he said, smiling. ``I instigated it.''

Scratched from the starting lineup Friday night because of back spasms, Jones recovered nicely. He hit a solo home run moments later, and did it again in the third. That gave Jones seven career homers off Vazquez, his top victim.

``I think when you face a pitcher so many times, you get comfortable. He's never made me uncomfortable,'' Jones said.

Jones has 40 career multihomer games, including three this season. He has eight home runs this year and 396 overall, matching Joe Carter for 49th on the career list.

Vazquez kept struggling, a year after he drew Cy Young Award consideration for a sharp season in Atlanta. He began this game with a 9.00 ERA, and more than maintained that run-per-inning pace. He gave up single runs in each of the first three innings and was yanked shortly after Mark Kotsay's two-run homer in the fourth.

``It's no fun,'' Vazquez said. ``I'm working on everything - mechanics, mental part of the game.''

Asked whether Vazquez would make his next start, Girardi said he was instead thinking about Granderson's injury and a taxed bullpen.

``Anyone can turn it around,'' Girardi said. ``You always have the ability to rewrite the script.''

Kotsay's homer off Vazquez made it 5-1. Unbeaten White Sox starter John Danks left after five innings, and Nick Swisher's homer capped a four-run comeback in the sixth that put the Yankees ahead 6-5.

The White Sox rallied in the seventh. Paul Konerko doubled with one out and Carlos Quentin drew an intentional walk from David Robertson (0-2) with two outs. Damaso Marte relieved and Pierzynski met him with a double to deep left-center.

Scott Linebrink (1-0) won despite allowing Swisher's two-run homer. Bobby Jenks pitched the ninth for his fifth save.

Granderson got a hand when he left in the sixth. He was running from first when Brett Gardner singled up the middle, but hurt himself rounding second and limped most of the way to third.

Granderson went to a hospital and an MRI exam revealed a Grade II strain. The Yankees said he would go on the DL and right-handed reliever Mark Melancon would be recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where he's 3-0 with three saves and a 1.76 ERA.

NOTES: Vazquez was stopped by the umpires when he came out to pitch the third inning. They huddled with Girardi, and Vazquez was forced to change his glove because its two-tone coloring was against Major League Baseball rules. In spring training, 3B umpire Jerry Meals was asked by Florida minor league pitcher Taylor Tankersley - who uses the same glove as Vazquez - whether the model was OK. Meals took a picture of the Wilson glove and sent it to MLB officials, who ruled it was illegal. Vazquez said he's used the same glove for three or four years. ``I was surprised we weren't informed of that,'' Girardi said. There are some two-tone gloves that pitchers are allowed to use - it depends on whether they're deemed a distraction to hitters.

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