Blue Jays pound out 15 hits, trounce Garcia, ChiSox

TORONTO (AP) -- Vernon Wells thoroughly enjoyed watching slugger Troy Glaus make his first major league start at shortstop.

Glaus homered off the top of Windows restaurant in center field and made three plays in the field, and Alex Rios homered and had three hits in the Toronto Blue Jays' 8-2 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Friday night.

"That's a very large shortstop, a very large man," Wells said of the 6-foot-5, 240-pound Glaus. "He's a good athlete. If he gets to it he's going to throw the guy out. He's got a great arm. It was different, but fun to see."

Toronto manager John Gibbons wanted more offense against White Sox starter Freddy Garcia, and didn't think his third baseman would see many grounders with fly ball pitcher Ted Lilly on the mound.

Glaus cleanly fielded two grounders and caught a popup in his 11th career appearance at shortstop and first since June 6, 2002, with the Angels.

Gibbons said the move was just for one game. He replaced Glaus with John McDonald to start the eighth inning.

"It was fun. I had a good time," said Glaus, who played shortstop growing up. "As the game went on I got a little more comfortable. The game started slowing down a little bit. I was remembering what I needed to do."

Glaus' solo homer in the fifth gave Toronto a 4-1 lead.

"A shortstop that can hit home runs," Gibbons said. "He was clean, man."

Wells and Reed Johnson also connected for the Blue Jays.

Lilly (5-4) rebounded from his shortest outing of the season. He allowed two runs and five hits while striking out seven and walking four in 6 1-3 innings. The left-hander lasted only 1 2-3 innings Sunday, giving up five runs in a 5-3 loss to the Colorado Rockies.

"I don't think I throw hard enough to rely on my fastball," Lilly said. "I have to have command of three pitches."

Paul Konerko homered twice for the White Sox, who had won their previous three games.

Garcia (7-2) failed to win his eighth straight decision. He allowed five runs and 12 hits in 5 1-3 innings.

"I made a lot of mistakes and I paid for it," Garcia said. "They are a good-hitting club."

Rios led off the first with his 10th home run. He went 3-for-5, raising his AL-leading average to .364.

Konerko tied it in the second with his first homer.

Rios singled in the third and scored on Wells' two-run shot.

After Glaus homered off Garcia in the fifth, Bengie Molina hit an RBI single later in the inning to give Toronto a 5-1 lead.

Konerko hit his 14th homer in the sixth.

The White Sox had the potential tying run at the plate with Jim Thome up in the seventh, but Scott Schoeneweis got Thome to ground out on the first pitch to end the threat.

The Blue Jays added two insurance runs in the bottom half on Shea Hillenbrand's RBI double and Aaron Hill's sacrifice fly.

Johnson homered off Cliff Politte in the eighth to make it 8-2.

Game notes
Chicago manager Ozzie Guillen coached third base because Joey Cora served the first of a two-game suspension for his part in the bench-clearing melee last week with the Chicago Cubs. "I'm the only one that has experience coaching third base," said Guillen, who previously coached third with Florida and Montreal. ... Hillenbrand started at 3B. ... Toronto outhit Chicago 15-5.