Swisher's pinch hit caps big offensive day for ChiSox; Giants lose 5th in row

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Nick Swisher clearly is still popular in these parts -- and he appreciates it.

He can also appreciate what he accomplished Sunday: success as a pinch-hitter.

The former fan favorite across the bay in Oakland spoiled the San Francisco Giants' day with a tiebreaking three-run double in the eighth, helping the Chicago White Sox to a 13-8 victory Sunday and their fifth straight win.

He's not used to such a role and hadn't come through in seven previous chances. His hit was one of many clutch at-bats by the White Sox.

"It's huge," said Swisher, traded from the Athletics in the offseason. "All I've heard so far is how bad the White Sox play on the West Coast. I think we kind of turned that around here. ... How many pinch-hit chances have I ever had? Not very many. I just happened to float one in there."

Orlando Cabrera homered twice and drove in three runs, Carlos Quentin hit a go-ahead, two-run shot in the sixth and Joe Crede also connected in Chicago's eighth win in 11 games, wrapping up an impressive 7-3 road trip.

"Good trip, boys, good trip," Chicago general manager Kenny Williams said while walking through the clubhouse.

Chicago got three straight one-out singles off Tyler Walker (1-2) in the eighth to load the bases. He then struck out Brian Anderson before Swisher stepped into the box and produced his second hit of the series.

Jermaine Dye's RBI single in the ninth provided an insurance run, then Crede added a sacrifice fly and Anderson a two-run single.

"We just fight all the way through it," White Sox skipper Ozzie Guillen said. "We continue to get good at-bats. This is a nice little streak. At least we go home with a better feeling than our last road trip."

The White Sox had a season-high 15 hits, matched their most runs of the year and avenged a losing series to the Giants when the teams met in interleague play in 2003 at Chicago.

After the White Sox's first 14 batters were 0-for-13 with a walk, their last 31 hitters went 14-for-28 with two walks, a sacrifice fly, three doubles and four home runs.

The Giants made it 6-6 with three runs in the seventh off Matt Thornton (1-0). Octavio Dotel, another former A's player, walked the first three batters in the eighth, but Guillen quickly turned to Nick Masset, who allowed two runs before getting an inning-ending double play on the way to his first major league save.

Randy Winn tripled with one out in the seventh to extend his hitting streak to 13 games, then scored on Jose Castillo's RBI single. Ray Durham singled for his third hit of the game and Bengie Molina hit a tying two-run double.

Cabrera hit a tying solo homer in the sixth, then a two-run drive in the seventh for his third career multihomer game and first since May 30, 2003, for Montreal at Philadelphia.

Rich Aurilia hit a solo home run in the second, his fourth of the year and 700th career RBI, but it wasn't enough to help the Giants avoid their fifth straight loss to match their longest skid of the season. The first two losses of the series were decided by two or fewer runs, while the two defeats to the Houston Astros were 6-3 and 8-7.

"We think we're better than what our record shows. We are the ones who can change this, turn it around," manager Bruce Bochy said. "What's going to be important is how we come out of this, how we handle things.

"These are tough times around here and we have to keep grinding. This was a tough homestand. Nothing matters until we go out there and play winning baseball."

Crede's solo homer in the fifth was the first hit off Matt Cain, tying the game at 1. Durham singled in the go-ahead run in the fifth for San Francisco, only to see Cabrera tie it with a solo homer to start the sixth.

White Sox starter John Danks allowed three runs on six hits in six innings, struck out three and walked three.

San Francisco has not won in five series this month. The club concluded a 10-game homestand and now hits the road for a nine-game, 11-day trip through Colorado, Florida and Arizona.

Cain, trying to win back-to-back starts for first time this year, gave up four home runs for the second time in his career. He also did so May 5, 2006, at Philadelphia.

Chicago's A.J. Pierzynski, the former Giants catcher, had hits in each of the two games he played back in the Bay Area and was booed at every opportunity. He tripled Friday and singled twice Sunday for a 10-game hitting streak -- the longest active streak in the American League.

Game notes
Pierzynski needs six hits for 1,000. ... The Giants are sending four players on the disabled list to the club's minor league complex in Scottsdale, Ariz., to continue their rehabilitation: RHP Kevin Correia (strained left side muscle), LHP Noah Lowry (forearm surgery), OF Dave Roberts (left knee surgery) and INF Kevin Frandsen (surgery for a ruptured left Achilles tendon). Frandsen will spend one more week in a walking boot. Correia threw his first bullpen session Sunday. "All went fine," manager Bruce Bochy said.