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CHICAGO -- Ozzie Guillens last game with the Chicago White Sox was quite the nailbiter. Nick Perry Womens Jersey . Sergio Santos struck out Adam Lind with the bases loaded to preserve a 4-3 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday night in Guillens final game as White Sox manager. Rookie Dylan Axelrod threw six shutout innings to earn his first major league win and Tyler Flowers hit a three-run homer for Chicago. Guillen met with White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf earlier in the day. Before the game, Guillen said he repeated his request for a contract extension and expected Reinsdorf to take a couple of days to make a decision about his future. The club then announced right after the victory that Guillen had been released from his contract per his request. "I know theyre not going to forget me," Guillen said. "They cant. They walk through the ballpark and my picture is there. I hope they dont take it down." Lost amid the frenzy surrounding Guillens surprising departure was Axelrod, who allowed three hits and struck out six. By the time the media was allowed into the clubhouse, Axelrod (1-0) had already departed. Santos got the last three outs to become the eighth White Sox pitcher to record 30 saves. It also was his first save since Sept. 6. David Cooper hit a two-run double to get Toronto within one before Santos walked Eric Thames and Jose Bautista to load the bases. But Santos then struck out Lind on his 44th pitch to end the game. "We came back and battled off Santos at the end, but Axelrod early just kept us off balance and didnt give us anything," Blue Jays bench coach Don Wakamatsu said. "What a huge hit by Cooper coming off the bench. (Santos) is a tough closer. To come up and hit a double and get us within a run. It was a disappointing loss but a good comeback at the end." Wakamatsu ran the club with manager John Farrell away to attend to a family matter. He is expected to manage on Tuesday. Flowers made a rare start at first base and hit his fourth homer with two on in the second. Dayan Viciedo roped an RBI double in the seventh and A.J. Pierzynski added two singles for Chicago. Torontos Dustin McGowan (0-2) allowed three runs and four hits in four innings, leaving after 73 pitches. McGowan has been limited to a strict pitch count as he works his way back from two shoulder surgeries. "I think the one thing weve seen since hes come back to start is he gets stronger as his outing goes along," Wakamatsu said. "I think today was a similar case where he felt around with his mechanics a little early. Its the first time hes pitched in cold weather in three years." Lind drove in Torontos first run with a groundout in the eighth. Mike McCoy stole two bases for the Blue Jays, and Mark Teahen reached base three times in his first game against his former club. The White Sox won for just the seventh time in their last 28 games against the Blue Jays. Toronto needs to win the last two games of the series to finish the season with a winning record for the fifth time in six years. Axelrod pitched out of jam in the fifth, getting McCoy on a foul popup and striking out Thames with runners on second and third. White Sox slugger Adam Dunn went 0 for 2 with two walks and two strikeouts, dropping his average to .160 with 174 strikeouts. Dunn needs nine plate appearances in the final two games to finish with the worst qualifying batting average in big league history, surpassing Rob Deers .179 mark in 1991. Dunn is 1 for 16 with 10 strikeouts against Toronto this season. NOTES: In the last series of the season, the Blue Jays are making their only trip to Chicago in the 2011 season. Chicago and Toronto havent played each other since May 29 and hadnt met in Chicago since May 9, 2010. ... Colby Rasmus (flu-like symptoms) and Adam Lind (birth of his child) both returned the Toronto lineup. ... Bautista went 0 for 3 with three walks after leaving Sundays game early because of a knee injury. Bautista leads the Yankees Curtis Granderson by two home runs in his bid to become the first player to lead the big leagues in homers in consecutive seasons since Mark McGwire in 1998 and 1999. ... The Blue Jays will send Henderson Alvarez to the mound on Tuesday to face Mark Buehrle, who could be making his last start for the White Sox. Buehrle will be a free agent after the season. Randall Cobb Womens Jersey . The deal, filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago, calls for the NCAA to toughen return-to-play rules for players who receive head blows and create a $70 million fund to pay for thousands of current and former athletes to undergo testing to determine whether they suffered brain trauma while playing football and other contact sports. James Starks Elite Jersey . Turns out, the alternative wasnt any fun for Malone, either. Durant scored 30 points and embraced a role as a facilitator by finishing with nine assists to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder past Sacramento 108-93 on Sunday night.VANCOUVER - Rory MacDonald says he doesnt feel any added pressure to carry Canadas mixed martial arts torch in Georges St-Pierres absence. In fact, his mentors hiatus from the UFC makes McDonalds quest to reach the top of the welterweight division a little easier. "It opens things up for me to get to where I want to be," MacDonald said this week. "Ive learned a lot from Georges. No extra pressure, Ive just got to be myself." It remains to be seen if St-Pierre will return to the sport he dominated, but the 24-year-old MacDonald — who goes by the nickname "Ares" — is intent on continuing his climb this Saturday at UFC 174 when he takes on Tyron (The Chosen One) Woodley in the co-main event at Rogers Arena. Both men have their sights set on Johny Hendricks welterweight title, with MacDonald ranked as the No. 2 challenger and Woodley at No. 3. Shy in front of the media glare, MacDonald said he just has to continue working on what has brought him to this point. "I think people like me for who I am," said MacDonald, who was born in Quesnel, B.C., but now trains in Montreal. "Ive gotten to the position Im in because of being who I am — a couple stumbles along the way but I feel like Im hitting my stride right now." One of those stumbles actually came in Vancouver when MacDonald (16-2) lost at UFC 115 in June 2010 to Carlos Condit. His only other defeat came to Robbie Lawler in a split decision at UFC 167 in November, but MacDonald rebounded to beat Demian Maia in a spplit decision at UFC 170 in February. Aaron Rodgers Elite Jersey. "You pick and choose your spots. You play between defence and offence against other good fighters," said MacDonald. "I just had a great training camp. No injuries and things went great. I felt great in my sparrings and my techniques are sharp." Woodley (13-2), a two-time All-American wrestler at the University of Missouri, has just three UFC bouts under his belt, including a technical knockout victory over Condit at UFC 171 in March. MacDonald said if he fights to his strengths against Woodley, he should come out on top. "I know the techniques. They come out as instinct right now," said MacDonald. "Ive trained them so much. So Ive just got to go in there and do my thing. "Im ready for everything. Last time here was unbelievable, the response I got. If its the same, more, or less Ill be ready." In a era where athletes in all sports are constantly looking for an edge, MacDonald said he doesnt study video of his opponents before a fight, preferring to use his instincts. "Ive fought a lot of people in the past — never seen them, never heard of them and had to deal with their problems," he said. "I find it easier to do it like that, to react in the cage." MacDonald is hoping for the same against Woodley on Saturday night. "Hes a great fighter. To beat him you have to be tricky and use good techniques," he said. "I feel very confident in my abilities and the solutions I have." ' ' ' |
