CHICAGO – White Sox reliever Chris Sale issued a pair of bases-loaded walks in the ninth inning and Chicago’s disappointing season ended Wednesday with a 3-2 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.

It seemed to be a fitting finish for the White Sox, whose year spun out of control. Earlier in the day, Ozzie Guillen was announced as the new manager of the Florida Marlins – the White Sox released him from his contract Monday.

Expected to be a contender in the AL Central, the White Sox wound up 79-83 with pitching coach Don Cooper serving as interim manager the last two games.

And now the search for a new manager begins with general manager Ken Williams saying he has a short list and a preferred candidate. Hitting coach Greg Walker also announced before the game Wednesday he was stepping down.

The Blue Jays’ victory gave them an 81-81 mark under rookie manager John Farrell as they finished fourth in the tough AL East.

Kelly Johnson doubled to start the ninth with Toronto trailing 2-1 and moved to third on David Cooper’s single. Colby Rasmus sacrificed Cooper to second before J.P. Arencibia was walked intentionally to load the bases. Sale (2-2) then walked Mark Teahen and Adam Loewen back-to-back, putting the Blue Jays ahead.

The rally denied Chicago starter Phil Humber his 10th victory after he gave up just two hits and a run in 6 2-3 innings while fanning a career-high nine.

Shawn Camp (6-3) pitched the eighth for the win. Frank Francisco worked the ninth for his 17th save in 21 chances.

The White Sox went ahead 2-1 in the fifth when Alexei Ramirez doubled down the third base line and a fan picked up the ball after it went into foul territory. Alejandro De Aza had opened with a single and raced home on the play.

But instead of sending De Aza back to third after the fan interference, umpires ruled he was far enough around the bases and would have scored regardless, so the run counted. Farrell came out for an explanation, but there was no long argument.

Toronto’s Eric Thames, the second batter in the game, hit an RBI double after a leadoff walk to Mike McCoy. The Blue Jays didn’t get another hit until Teahen singled off Ramirez’s glove at short in the seventh to finish Humber.

Chicago had tied it in the fourth on Gordon Beckham’s 10th homer, ending a streak of 18 scoreless innings by Blue Jays starter Brandon Morrow. Morrow gave up five hits and two runs in six innings.

Chicago’s Adam Dunn, who needed six plate appearances in the final game to finish with the worst qualifying batting average in modern big league history, sat out the game. He finished with a .159 average in 496 plate appearances, had a club-record 177 strikeouts and hit only 11 homers after signing a four-year, $56 million dollar contract.

NOTES: Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista, who hit 43 homers and could finish as the major home run league champion in back-to-back seasons, wasn’t shy when asked who should be the AL MVP. “If I couldn’t vote for myself, then Miguel Cabrera,” he said of the Tigers star.” But if he could vote for himself, would he? “Wouldn’t you?” Bautista said. … White Sox LHP Mark Buehrle, who has pitched at least 200 innings in every season since 2001 and will be a free agent, reiterated that he had no idea if he would resign with the only team he’s ever played for. Buehrle said his preference is to return but added it might be interesting to see how another organization works. Either way, he said the White Sox don’t owe him anything. He signed a four-year, $56 million deal in 2007. “They’ve given me plenty, they’ve given me a chance to play baseball and given me tons of money,” Buehrle said. … Attendance was 20,524, running the season total at U.S. Cellular Field to 2,001,262. … Morrow struck out seven, giving him 203 for the season and making him the fourth Blue Jays pitcher to fan at least 200.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — The White Sox gave the Indians fits throughout the season series. But the Tribe had plenty of fun at their expense in the finale Thursday night.

The Indians received quality performances from numerous players in posting an 11-2 victory at Progressive Field.

The Indians (77-78) lead the White Sox (76-80) by 1 1/2 games for second place in the AL Central behind champion Detroit.

Chicago won the season series, 11-7, including a 15-10 victory in the season opener April 1 in Cleveland. The closer was pretty much all Cleveland thanks in large part to:

• Asdrubal Cabrera. He hit a three-run homer and two-run single. The homer set a franchise single-season record by a shortstop (25).

• Kosuke Fukudome. He went 2-for-4 with a homer, a walk and three RBI. He also  made a diving catch.

• Jeanmar Gomez. He worked six strong innings to win his fifth straight start and improve to 5-2. Gomez gave up the two runs (one earned) on four hits — and looked good doing it. He ran his fastball in on lefties and had tight spin on his slider.

• Travis Hafner. He notched his 1,000th career hit and was responsible for two runs scored.

• Jason Kipnis. He followed Fukudome’s blast in the first with his own against White Sox righty Phil Humber, giving the Indians back-to-back homers to begin a first inning for just the fourth time in franchise history.

• Gomez allowed one hit through three — a two-out single up the middle by Tribe nemesis Juan Pierre in the third. It was Pierre’s 21st hit against Cleveland this season. The next batter, Alexei Ramirez, broke his bat and grounded to Gomez.

The White Sox scored two in the fifth to tie the score, 2-2. One of the runs was unearned because of Cabrera’s throwing error. Pierre — surprise — delivered an RBI single.

The Indians regained the advantage in their half of the fifth. Jack Hannahan drew a two-out walk and was speeding around the bases as Ezequiel Carrera lined a triple down the left-field line. As the ball kicked up into the railing, Hannahan scored easily.

White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen argued that the play should have been ruled a ground-rule double and Hannahan returned to third. The umpires huddled and agreed.

Fukudome made sure it did not hurt Cleveland by dumping a single into left-center. Pierre and his pop-gun arm had no shot to throw out Carrera.

Hafner’s heads-up running helped make it 5-2 in the sixth. He tagged from second to third on a one-out fly ball, putting him in prime position to score on Matt LaPorta’s slow roller through the hole at second.

The Indians opened it up in the seventh. Cabrera hit a three-run homer, his 25th in 589 official at-bats. Cabrera set the franchise single-season record for homers by a shortstop, passing Jhonny Peralta, whose 24 came in 2005.

Last season, Cabrera hit three homers in 381 at-bats.

The next batter, Hafner, ripped a double to right-center — his 1,000th career hit. He received a standing ovation and was applauded again as he exited the field for pinch-runner Cord Phelps. Phelps scored on Grady Sizemore’s single.

Cabrera hit a two-run single in the eighth, matching his career-best. It is the fourth time this season that an Indian has driven in five runs in a game.

The Tribe bullpen worked three hitless innings.

Neither Indians DH Jim Thome nor White Sox infielder Omar Vizquel played, but they did exchange lineup cards before the game. 

Miguel Cabrera homered and drove in four runs, and Detroit finished off its sweep in emphatic fashion, routing the White Sox 18-2 on Sunday night.

“At the end of the game, you are almost laughing because we couldn’t do anything to stop them,” said Guillen, Chicago’s manager. “Just have to move on.”

Max Scherzer (14-8) allowed five hits over seven scoreless innings, and Alex Avila scored a career-high four hits for Detroit, which leads the AL Central by 6½ games heading into a three-game series at second-place Cleveland. Chicago is 8½ back.

Mark Buehrle (11-7) allowed seven earned runs in 3 1-3 innings.

The Tigers trailed 8-1 in the fifth Saturday before rallying to win 9-8. They scored 26 consecutive runs and led 18-0 Sunday when the White Sox finally scored two in the ninth.

“We needed to come here and make a statement. We had to win two of three, if not sweep them, and that’s the furthest thing from what actually happened,” Buehrle said. “We’re not mathematically eliminated, but a smart man isn’t going to like our chances right now. We’re not going to give up, but we’re in big trouble.”

It was the second-biggest blowout in the major leagues this season, according to STATS, LLC. Cleveland beat Kansas City 19-1 on May 16.

Cabrera’s two-run homer into the bushes behind the center-field wall highlighted a seven-run sixth inning.

Although Justin Verlander is making a bid for the Cy Young Award, the depth of Detroit’s rotation has been an issue. Scherzer allowed seven runs in three innings against Kansas City on Monday, but he was much sharper against Chicago, striking out the side in the third and facing the minimum 12 hitters through the first four innings.

Not that Detroit needed a dominant pitching performance.

Austin Jackson led off with a double in the bottom of the first and eventually scored on Victor Martinez’s single. The Tigers scored three runs in the third. Martinez and Avila hit RBI singles, and when Jhonny Peralta hit a grounder to short for a potential inning-ending double play, second baseman Gordon Beckham’s throw to first skipped away for an error, allowing Martinez to score.

The White Sox compounded their poor pitching by making three errors on the night.

Delmon Young made it 5-0 with an RBI single in the fourth, and Cabrera’s double to left-center brought home two more runs and ended Buehrle’s night. It was his shortest outing since June 6, 2010, when he pitched three innings against the Indians.

Reliever Addison Reed, making his major league debut, allowed RBI singles by Avila and Peralta later in the fourth to make it 9-0.

Guillen said before the game he wants to be in Chicago next year. He’s signed through 2012 with the White Sox.

“All my desire, everything, is to be in Chicago,” he said. “I don’t know why people think I want to leave.”

No matter what happens, he’ll probably want to forget this game.

With the score out of hand, both teams began substituting liberally, although Guillen — trying to preserve pitchers for a Monday doubleheader at Minnesota — left right-hander Shane Lindsay out on the mound for the entire sixth inning. Lindsay, whose mother managed to travel from Australia on short notice to see her son’s major league debut Friday night, allowed seven runs and eight hits in his only inning of work Sunday.

Peralta hit a two-run double, Brandon Inge added an RBI single, pinch-hitter Andy Dirks hit a two-run single, and Cabrera made it 16-0 with a towering, 425-foot homer, his 26th of the year.

“I didn’t want to leave the kid out there — no one wants to see that — but we couldn’t do anything with a doubleheader tomorrow,” Guillen said. “That was hard for me to see and hard for everyone.”

Dirks added a two-run homer in the eighth.

“It’s almost a little surreal at times when you’re scoring that many runs,” Dirks said. “At the same time, it’s just one game. It doesn’t matter if you win by two or you win by 20.”

NOTES: Guillen said before the game OF Carlos Quentin (sprained left shoulder) may not return any time soon. … Guillen went about halfway to second base in the second inning after Alex Rios was called out stealing, apparently ready to argue the call. Then he seemed to change his mind and went back to the dugout. … Both teams face quick turnarounds for day games Monday. Detroit is at Cleveland, and Chicago plays its doubleheader at Minnesota. The White Sox will send Philip Humber (8-8) and Zach Stewart (1-2) to the mound against Minnesota’s Anthony Swarzak (3-5) and Scott Diamond (1-2).

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

CHICAGO — Justin Masterson and the Cleveland Indians picked up a key game against another AL Central contender and gained some momentum for their key series at division-leading Detroit.

Not a bad day, at all.

Masterson pitched six effective innings, Kosuke Fukudome had a tiebreaking RBI triple and the Indians inched closer to the top of the division with a 4-2 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Thursday night.

Matt LaPorta hit a two-run homer for Cleveland, which pulled within 1 1-2 games of idle Detroit. The Tribe opens a three-game series against the Tigers on Friday.

“It was good,” Masterson said. “It was a much needed series. We wanted to take this final game. That’s kind of been our motto to try and win each series as we go out.”

Paul Konerko homered for the White Sox, which lost starter Phil Humber on a scary play in the second inning. Konerko, Adam Dunn and Omar Vizquel each had two hits, and Tyler Flowers singled in a run.

Masterson (10-7) allowed two runs and seven hits, struck out two and walked three. The 6-foot-6 right-hander improved to 2-2 with a 1.61 ERA in four starts against the White Sox this season.

“Masterson had good stuff,” Indians manager Manny Acta said. “He just battled a little bit through the six innings and got his pitch count up. But his stuff was so good that still whenever he got in trouble he could get away with it, made some pitches and gave us six solid innings. After that our bullpen again was huge.”

Rafael Perez and Joe Smith combined to finish the seventh, Vinnie Pestano got out of a jam in the eighth and Chris Perez finished for his 27th save in 30 chances.

Humber was struck in the face by Fukudome’s comebacker with one out in the second inning. He fell to the ground as the ball bounded back to catcher Flowers.

“I saw it, but a little too late though,” Humber said. “I’m not as quick as I thought.”

Humber stood up immediately after the play ended and appeared to be alert as the club’s medical staff checked on him, but was removed after a short delay. He lobbied to remain in the game.

“When you get hit like that in that spot, it was unfair to leave him in there to try to pitch,” White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said. “I think we did the right thing to get him out of there.”

Humber was struck above the right eye and was removed as a precautionary measure. He will evaluated again on Friday, when it likely will be determined if he can make his next start.

“As of right now, I feel good,” Humber said. “Just got a little pop knot on my forehead. Other than that, I feel very fortunate.”

The Indians won the last two games of the three-game series against the White Sox after losing seven of their first eight games against Chicago this season.

“They play good baseball against us,” Acta said. “They hit us around pretty good at the beginning of the year and they have played their best baseball against us.”

Fukudome played a key role in Cleveland’s decisive rally in the sixth. After Shin-Soo Choo led off with an infield single, Fukudome tripled into the right-field corner against Will Ohman (0-3) to give the Indians a 3-2 lead.

Fukudome, acquired in a July trade with the crosstown Cubs, came home later in the inning when Asdrubal Cabrera drew a two-out walk against Jason Frasor on a 3-2 pitch with the bases loaded.

“I think I’m definitely getting used to it (playing for Cleveland) and also I have at-bats when the team has a chance to score so I just try to be aggressive,” Fukudome said through an interpreter.

The White Sox loaded the bases with two out in the eighth, but Pestano struck out Gordon Beckham to end the inning. Beckham is 3 for 24 over his last six games, dropping his average to .238.

It was an ugly night for Beckham, who bounced into a fielder’s choice with a runner on to end the second, lined softly to the pitcher with two on to end the fourth and struck out looking with two on to end the sixth.

“I am worried about him because he is chasing a lot of pitches,” Guillen said. “When you’re a hitter and you’re (chasing) bad pitches, you’re going to put yourself in the hole. I know it’s not easy. I played this game before. I went through it. I was swinging at everything in my career as a player. But you have to lay off the high fastball.”

Konerko went deep in the third to give Chicago a 1-0 lead. Konerko’s 28th homer was just the sixth off Masterson in 173 innings this season.

LaPorta responded with a two-run drive on an 0-2 pitch from rookie Zach Stewart with two out in the fourth.

Flowers’ RBI single in the fourth tied it at 2. He also had three walks and has reached base 11 times in over his last four starts in place of injured catcher A.J. Pierzynski.

Dunn singled twice for his first two-hit game since July 22. Dunn is hitting .333 in 36 at-bats against the Indians this season. He’s hitting .149 against everybody else.

The Indians can regain first place with a good series this weekend. Masterson is grateful they won’t have to watch the out-of-town scoreboard.

“We can’t worry about who else is losing or whatever,” Masterson said. “If we take care of what we can, win our games as we go out, that’s going to speak for itself. We don’t have to worry about anyone else, just go out and beat our opponent.”

Notes: Indians rookie Jason Kipnis was expected to return to the lineup after missing three games with right side soreness, but was a late scratch because of tightness in his right hamstring. He was replaced at second base by Jason Donald. … Josh Tomlin will start Friday against Detroit’s Max Scherzer. Tomlin has gone at least five innings in each of his first 36 career starts, the only big league pitcher to do that since 1919. … The White Sox next play a three-game weekend series against AL West-leading Texas. Matt Harrison will face Chicago’s Jake Peavy in the opener. . Konerko’s home run was the 393rd of his career, tying Jim Edmonds for 52nd place. … OF Austin Kearns officially cleared waivers and was released outright by the Indians.

CHICAGO (AP)—Juan Pierre(notes) doesn’t hit many home runs, so when he hit one,
he couldn’t wait to brag about it.

Pierre had to wait 10 innings to brag after his fourth-inning shot, and it
wasn’t even his most important hit of the night.

Pierre hit a game-ending single in the 14th inning to cap a wild, five-hour
marathon as the Chicago White Sox beat the Cleveland Indians 8-7 on Tuesday
night.

Gordon Beckham(notes) doubled off Chad Durbin(notes) (2-2) with one out in the final
inning, advancing to third on Brent Morel’s(notes) infield single.

David Huff(notes) relieved Durbin to face Pierre, who singled to left to win it.

“We just battled and they battled. You expect to do that when you’re in the
hunt like that,” Pierre said. “It’s a big victory. Being out there so long, it
would have been tough to come in after a loss. It’s a big win.”

Pierre hit a solo home run off of Cleveland starter Ubaldo Jimenez(notes) in the
fourth. It was his second homer of the season and 16th in his 12-year career.

“He started me off with fastballs in the previous at-bat. I was just
looking for a fastball. I never try to hit a home run, so I was just trying to
put it in play hard and just hit it in the right spot,” he said. “I’m kind of
hoarse from screaming around the bases. I have to act like I’ve at least done it
somewhat. That’s 16 career now? Twenty is in sight now, 20’s in sight.”

Jason Frasor(notes) (3-2) worked the top of the inning to earn the victory.

“We had our chances,” said Indians manager Manny Acta. “We had the bases
loaded and one of our best hitters at the plate and we couldn’t get it done. You
have to give credit to Jesse Crain(notes).”

Crain worked two scoreless innings, including escaping a bases-loaded, one
out jam in the 13th.

The White Sox have won nine of 11 and remain 3 1/2 games behind the American
League Central-leading Detroit Tigers. The loss drops the second-place Indians
to three games back.

Cleveland rallied to tie the game in the ninth on a pair of defensive
miscues by the White Sox. After Sergio Santos(notes) issued a one-out walk, Michael
Brantley(notes) dropped a single in front of center fielder Alex Rios(notes), who had just
come in as a defensive replacement.

With runners on first and third, Shin-soo Choo(notes) tapped a slow roller to
second base. Beckham thought about throwing home but hesitated and dropped the
ball. He was only able to get a force out at second, allowing the tying run to
score.

It was Santos’ fourth blown save in 29 chances this year.

De Aza tripled in runs in the second and sixth. He became the first White
Sox player to triple twice in a game since Alex Cintron(notes) on April 13, 2006.

Paul Konerko(notes) extended his hit streak to 12 games with four more hits. After
doubling in the fifth, Konerko tagged up at second and slid into third on Carlos
Quentin’s(notes) flyout to center, later scoring on Alexei Ramirez’s(notes) triple.

The White Sox captain has been hobbled by his left knee since being hit by a
pitch on July 31 against Boston. He has been unable to play in the field but has
hit in every game since returning to action on Aug. 4.

Tyler Flowers(notes) and Rios also tripled for the White Sox, who tallied five
three-baggers in one game for the first time since Sept. 17, 1920 against the
New York Yankees. The club record is six triples, a feat achieved three
different times. The White Sox had just eight triples on the year coming into
the game.

“How many of those triples scored?” asked manager Ozzie Guillen.

Only two.

Rios tripled to lead off the 11th, but the White Sox stranded him on third.

The White Sox set a season-high with 22 hits, but stranded 16 men on base,
going 9 for 25 with runners in scoring position.

Gavin Floyd(notes) struck out nine over 5 2-3 innings. He allowed five runs on five
hits. He retired the first nine batters he faced, including seven strikeouts. He
struck out the side in the second.

Jiminez allowed five runs, four earned, on nine hits over 4 2-3 innings,
throwing 105 pitches. He struck out five and walked one.

NOTES: Indians LHP Tony Sipp(notes) was ejected in the 10th for arguing a
controversial call after being removed from the game. … The White Sox placed C
A.J. Pierzynski(notes) (fractured left wrist) on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive
to Aug. 13, and purchased the contract of C Donny Lucy(notes) from Triple-A Charlotte.
Chicago requested waivers for the purpose of granting RHP Brian Bruney(notes) his
unconditional release after he cleared waivers and rejected an outright
assignment to Triple-A. … Indians OF Grady Sizemore(notes) (knee/sports hernia) ran
on a treadmill on Tuesday and is scheduled to do so again on Thursday. Cleveland
hopes he will progress to land-based running by the time the team returns home
on Aug. 22. … Indians INF Jason Kipnis(notes) (side) was out of the lineup for the
second straight game but was available to pinch-hit according to manager Manny
Acta. … LHP Mark Buehrle(notes) (10-5, 3.06 ERA) takes the mound for the White Sox in
the second game of the series on Wednesday. The lefty has allowed three runs or
less in 18 straight starts. Cleveland sends RHP Fausto Carmona(notes) (5-12, 5.12) to
the hill. Carmona has allowed 18 runs in eight innings in his two starts against
the White Sox this season (0-2).

The Chicago White Sox started all but one frame by getting a man aboard against Hochevar as Chicago rallied for a 5-4 win over the Kansas City Royals on Saturday night.

“He did a good job of containing it for the most part, and pitched his way through it,” Royals manager Ned Yost. “He wasn’t as sharp as he has been the last couple times, but I thought he threw the ball quite well.”

Hochevar (8-9) allowed eight hits and five runs in six-plus innings. He had won four straight decisions and hadn’t lost in eight starts dating to June 21.

“It was a grind tonight and sometimes you run into those,” he said. “You just have to keep battling and keep executing and keep attacking the strike zone.”

Paul Konerko went deep in the third and Tyler Flowers added a solo shot in the fifth to help the White Sox snap a seven-game home losing streak. Flowers also had a single and a walk.

The White Sox rallied to take the lead with a two-run seventh. Carlos Quentin drove in the tying run with an RBI double into the left-field corner. Alejandro De Aza forced in the go-ahead run with a bases loaded walk.

Both runs came with Royals reliever Aaron Crow on the mound, but were charged to Hochevar, who issued a single and a walk to start the inning before being pulled.

“Instead of trying to get ahead and throw strikes, I was trying to throw pitches on the black,” Crow said. “To be honest, my command’s not good enough to be able to do that. I just have to focus on throwing to thirds of the plate as opposed to throwing to the black.”

It was Crow’s first appearance at U.S. Cellular Field since a July 4 blowup where he allowed three runs and balked in the game-winner.

Crow said the two were isolated incidents.

“I was trying to do too much,” he said. “Guys were on base and I was trying to be too perfect instead of just throwing strikes. I was trying to make perfect pitches from the get-go and that’s what happens when you try to be too fine.”

The Royals overcame an early 2-0 deficit with a four-run rally in the fifth. Butler’s two-out, two-run single put the Royals up 4-2.

Juan Pierre had three singles and scored two runs for Chicago.

Jesse Crain (7-3) got the win in relief after pitching out of starter Jake Peavy’s jam in the seventh and his own in the eighth. Chris Sale got the last three outs, earning his fourth save.

Peavy allowed four runs and nine hits over 6 2-3 innings.

Butler stroked a two-run single for the Royals, and Johnny Giavotella added two hits and an RBI.

The start of the game was delayed by 1 hour, 25 minutes due to thunderstorms that moved through the Chicago area late Saturday afternoon. There was another delay of 42 minutes prior to the start of the eighth.

Butler got his chance when White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen had Melky Cabrera intentionally walked in front of him to load the bases.

The White Sox cut the lead to 4-3 in the fifth on Flowers’ first homer. For Flowers, who was playing in his 25th game over the last three seasons, it was also his first career RBI.

“It was huge,” said manager Ozzie Guillen. “This kid, we know he can catch, but he contributed with the bat, that’s a plus.”

With two outs and one on in the third, Konerko hit a 1-2 fastball into the left field seats, putting the White Sox up 2-0. It was Konerko’s 27th homer and extended his hitting streak to 10 games.

After the Royals fell behind 5-4, they got the first two runners on in the eighth against Crain, but Salvador Perez bounced into an inning-ending double play.

Notes: The Royals and White Sox will play the finale of their three-game series on Sunday afternoon. Francis will start for Kansas City against Chicago’s John Danks. Francis has allowed just four earned runs in 12 2-3 innings in two starts against Chicago this season but has ended up with no-decisions in both outings. Danks started the season 0-8 but is 4-1 with a 2.20 ERA in his last eight starts. The ERA is the fourth-lowest in baseball over that span. … Kansas City’s Melky Cabrera went 2 for 3. He’s hitting .400 (60 for 150) since July 2, the best average in the major leagues. … Mike Moustakas went 0 for 4 and fell to 0 for 31 against the White Sox in his first big-league season.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.