ANAHEIM, Calif. — Jered Weaver pitched seven innings of four-hit ball in his first start since signing an $85 million contract extension, and Erick Aybar drove in three runs in the Los Angeles Angels’ sixth straight victory, 8-0 over the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday night.

Torii Hunter homered for the Angels, and Jeff Mathis had a two-run double during a three-run second inning in a dominant finale to their nine-game homestand. Los Angeles’ second straight series sweep and Texas’ 13-2 loss to Boston trimmed the Angels’ deficit in the AL West to just 21/2 games before they head into a weekend series at Rangers Ballpark on Friday.

Zach Stewart (1-3) allowed seven hits and seven runs while pitching into the seventh inning for Chicago, which missed a chance to move into second place in the AL Central for the second straight day.

Los Angeles scored four runs in the seventh to give a rare easy night to Weaver (15-6), who received one total run of support in his previous three starts combined. Weaver didn’t need that much help while ending a four-start winless streak in dominant fashion, striking out eight and allowing just one runner to reach third base.

A day earlier, Los Angeles announced Weaver had agreed to a five-year deal through 2016, passing up unrestricted free agency to stay in Orange County. Although the Angels scored just eight runs in Weaver’s last six starts, the AL All-Star game starter’s 15 victories already are one short of his career high in 2009.

The Angels have Thursday off before heading to Arlington, where they could conceivably take over the division lead with a three-game sweep. It’s an improbable development after the Rangers took three of four at Angel Stadium last week, only missing a sweep on Mark Trumbo’s two-run homer on the last pitch of the final game.

Texas has lost four of six since leaving Anaheim, while Los Angeles hasn’t lost.

Alejandro De Aza’s third-inning double was the only extra-base hit for the White Sox, who haven’t been above third place since April. They also missed a chance Tuesday to move above .500 for just the second time in four months.

Until the game got away in the seventh inning, Stewart had made a solid return to the White Sox’s rotation after a stint in the bullpen. He made two starts immediately after arriving in a trade with Toronto on July 27, returning to the rotation after an injury to Philip Humber.

After Aybar drove home Trumbo for the Angels’ first run in the second inning, Mathis pounded a double into the left-center gap, scoring Vernon Wells and Aybar. Mathis entered the game batting .176, but his rapport with Weaver makes him valuable to the Angels.

Hunter hit a two-out shot well beyond the left-field wall in the third inning, his 18th homer of the season. The steady slugger is closing in on his sixth straight 20-homer season.

Aybar laced a two-run double down the first-base line in the seventh, followed by back-to-back RBI doubles by Alberto Callaspo and Bobby Abreu against reliever Josh Kinney.

NOTES: More bad news for Texas: Angels manager Mike Scioscia is contemplating using Ervin Santana and Weaver on short rest after 13-game winner Dan Haren starts the opener at Rangers Ballpark. Los Angeles started rookies Garrett Richards and Tyler Chatwood in the first two games on last week’s series with the Rangers, who beat both soundly. … Jake Peavy will start for the White Sox on Friday when they open a series in Seattle against Charlie Furbush and the Mariners. … Abreu’s 547th career double tied him with Manny Ramirez for 25th on baseball’s career list.

ANAHEIM, Calif., Aug. 25 (UPI) — Jered Weaver and two relievers blanked Chicago Wednesday and moved the Los Angeles Angels closer to the division lead with an 8-0 win over the White Sox.

A week ago the Angels were one inning away from falling eight games behind Texas for the lead in the American League West. Los Angeles rallied in that game against the Rangers and has now won six in a row — a streak that has brought the Angels within 2 2/1 games of the top spot.

Weaver (15-6) gave up four hits and struck out eight over seven innings to end a four-start winless streak. Bobby Cassevah and Fernando Rodney worked an inning each to complete the shutout.

Erick Aybar led the Los Angeles offense, driving in the game’s first run with a single in the second and producing a two-run double in the seventh.

Torii Hunter had a solo homer and Jeff Mathis, Alberto Callaspo and Bobby Abreu each had an RBI double.

Zach Stewart (1-3) absorbed the loss, giving up seven runs on seven hits in six innings.

By Greg Beacham, Associated Press

ANAHEIM, Calif. — When Paul Konerko drove in the tying run with his 2,000th career hit in the eighth inning, the Chicago White Sox were tantalizingly close to climbing above .500 and moving into second place in the AL Central for the first time all summer.

Instead, Konerko’s hit was the only thing worth celebrating for the White Sox at Angel Stadium.

Peter Bourjos drove a bases-loaded single through Chicago’s drawn-in infield in the ninth inning, and the Los Angeles Angels beat the White Sox 5-4 on Tuesday night for their fifth straight victory.

The White Sox lost for just the sixth time in 17 games, but they committed two errors while giving up a first-inning run, and they never regained the lead. Mark Buehrle yielded seven hits and four runs over six innings, and none of the White Sox managed more than two hits.

It wasn’t what the White Sox hoped to see at the start of a key five-game West Coast road trip.

“We’ve got head-to-heads left with some teams in our division, so we’ve just got to hang in there and try to pick up some ground where we can,” Konerko said. “”We might have to sweep somebody here and there to make this thing happen.”

Chicago trailed 4-3 into the eighth, but Alejandro De Aza got a two-out single and stole second. Konerko singled on Ervin Santana’s first two-strike pitch after a mound conference, and Santana headed back to the dugout moments later with his head hung low.

“I’m glad it was a meaningful hit in the game,” Konerko said. “It was a hitter’s hit — a line drive to right, just like my first hit.”

Konerko is the 13th player to get his 2,000th hit with the White Sox. Chicago’s All-Star slugger joined a group including Jim Thome, Frank Thomas, Tim Raines and Carlton Fisk.

“The first thing I think of is, ‘How the hell did Pete Rose get 4,000 hits?’” Konerko said. “Or (Derek) Jeter getting 3,000 hits, or any of those guys. I mean, you do this from the time you’re a kid until you’re at the stage where you’ve got a wife and kids, and for someone else to have another 1,000 hits or another 2,000 hits, it just seems like, wow, those guys are good.”

After Erick Aybar’s one-out single off Jason Frasor (3-3), pinch-hitter Alberto Callaspo moved him to third with a single — and he alertly advanced to second on the throw, forcing the White Sox to walk Maicer Izturis to load the bases before Bourjos’ hit easily scored Aybar.

Buehrle hasn’t won at Angel Stadium since August 2001, but Konerko’s eighth-inning hit took him off the hook for his first consecutive losses since April.

(Sports Network) – The Texas Rangers try to bounce back from a heartbreaking
loss when they open a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox at U.S.
Cellular Field.

The Rangers were denied a sweep in their four-game series with the Los Angeles
Angels of Anaheim on Thursday when Mike Adams served up a game-winning two-run
home run to Mike Trumbo, sending Texas to a 2-1 loss.

Mike Napoli homered in the loss for the Rangers, who had a six-game win streak
stopped and still lead the AL West by six games over the Angels.

“We definitely got a lift from coming in and playing as well as we did,
winning three of the four and putting ourselves in position to win another
one,” outfielder Josh Hamilton said.

Adams (1-2) was being used because regular closer Neftali Feliz had pitched
four of the previous five days.

“Feliz wasn’t available tonight, and we were comfortable with Mike,” Rangers
manager Ron Washington said. “Trumbo just happened to do it tonight. We didn’t
give it to them. They won it. Give them credit.”

Getting the call for the Rangers tonight will be lefty Matt Harrison, who is
10-8 with a 3.19 earned run average. Harrison did not get a decision on Sunday
in Oakland, but did not pitch well, as he allowed six runs (four earned) and
six hits in 5 1/3 innings.

Harrison did not get a decision the last time he faced the White Sox, but is
2-0 in four starts against them with a 3.04 ERA.

Countering for the White Sox will be righty Jake Peavy, who is 5-5
with a 4.69 ERA. Peavy did not get a decision on Saturday against Kansas City,
as he surrendered four runs and nine hits in 6 2/3 frames of a 5-4 win.

Peavy has faced the Rangers just twice and has allowed eight runs in 9 1/3
innings of those outings.

Chicago also enters tonight’s tilt on a losing note after dropping a 4-2
decision to the Cleveland Indians. Paul Konerko smacked his 28th home run of
the year in the White Sox’s second straight loss after a three-game win
streak.

The White Sox are now four games back of the Detroit Tigers in the AL Central.

Starting pitcher Philip Humber left the game in the second inning after he was
struck in the head with a ball. Will Ohman (0-3) took the loss, allowing the
game-deciding runs in the sixth inning.

The Rangers have won three of their five matchups against the White Sox this
season.

The Sports Network

Before starting their series with the Dodgers, the Chicago White Sox honored
two members of their 2005 World Series championship team who now play in Los
Angeles.

One of those players, Jon Garland(notes), will make his first start at U.S.
Cellular Field in four years Saturday opposite ex-teammate Mark Buehrle(notes), who
will try to continue his interleague dominance.

The White Sox produced a video tribute for the return of Garland and
infielder Juan Uribe(notes), who threw out the final baserunner in the World Series six
seasons ago to end Chicago’s 88-year championship drought.

“You’re either well-liked or you did something special or were a part of
something special,” Garland told the White Sox’s official website. “I like to
think I was all of that.”

Uribe didn’t have a pleasant first game against the White Sox, going 0 for 3
before leaving in the seventh inning with a strained left hip flexor. The
Dodgers had five hits at that point in the game but finished with 12 in a
10-inning, 6-4 comeback victory.

Dodgers reserve Russ Mitchell(notes), batting .125 on the season, ended Chicago
closer Sergio Santos’(notes) scoreless streak at 22 2-3 innings with a two-out homer to
tie the game in the ninth. Los Angeles (21-25) tacked on three more runs to win
it in the 10th.

“This is a big win for us, we’ve been waiting for that big hit, we’ve been
talking about it,” Mitchell said. “Hopefully this is a time for us to get on a
roll and get back into it.”

The victory was only the Dodgers’ second in seven games overall, but their
season-high third straight on the road. Garland (1-3, 3.55 ERA) will try to keep
that run going against his former team, which has won nine of 13 overall and
three of four at home following a 1-10 stretch there.

Garland, who played his first eight major league seasons in Chicago, enters
this game winless in his last four starts despite a respectable 3.24 ERA. He’s
received three total runs of support in his last three outings and suffered the
loss in a 2-1 defeat to Milwaukee on Monday.

Garland did not get a decision in his only previous start against the White
Sox (20-26), a 4-3 loss for the Los Angeles Angels on May 15, 2008.

Chicago’s recent success is thanks in large part to a 2.82 staff ERA over
the last 13 games. Buehrle (3-3, 4.07) is 2-0 with a 2.14 ERA in three starts
this month after going 1-3 with a 5.12 ERA in April.

The left-hander is 9-0 with a 1.73 ERA in his last 12 interleague starts,
the best interleague record in the majors since the beginning of the 2008
season.

He’s also 2-0 with a 0.53 ERA in his last two matchups with the Dodgers, but
hasn’t faced them since 2008.

He’ll face a Dodgers team that has eight players on the disabled list,
including Casey Blake(notes) and Rafael Furcal(notes). Andre Ethier(notes) is mired in a 1-for-25
slump as Major League Baseball investigates photos of him making an obscene
gesture toward a photographer before Monday’s loss to Milwaukee.

CHICAGO, May 18 (UPI) — Jake Peavy, in his second start of the season, threw a three-hitter Wednesday that lifted the Chicago White Sox past Cleveland 1-0.

Peavy dueled Cleveland’s Justin Masterson in a pair of complete-game efforts, with the game’s only run coming on a first-inning sacrifice fly by Adam Dunn.

After finally recovering from last July’s surgery, in which he had a torn muscle re-attached, Peavy made his first start of the year last week.

He gave up four runs in six innings against the Los Angeles Angels in that appearance, but was dominant against the Indians Wednesday. Peavy (1-0) allowed one-out singles in the first, fourth and seven innings, struck out eight and did not walk a batter.

It was the ninth complete game and fifth shutout of a career that began in 2002.

Masterson (5-2) surrendered five hits, walked two and struck out eight. He gave up a leadoff double to Juan Pierre in the first and Omar Vizquel singled Pierre to third. Dunn then lifted a fly to center that brought home Pierre.

Masterson worked his way out of a two-on, one-out jam in the second and then faced only one batter over the minimum the rest of the way.