Orioles 6, White Sox 4 (11 innings): Extras still not a good idea

If there's a rule teams can take away from this series, it's a simple one: Don't fall behind 4-0.

The Orioles did it in the first two games. The White Sox did it tonight. Whether they come back to tie it, or even take the lead, matters not, because it's going to end in a loss. This time, it came when Jason Frasor hung a slider to Nolan Reimold, who knocked it over the center field wall for the walk-off homer.

At least the Sox were able to get Phil Humber off the hook, a little payback for the numerous times they failed to support his quality starts earlier in the year. Humber gave up 11 hits over six innings, including a pair of solo shots. Somehow, Humber was able to keep the bases clear for the homers.

Omar Vizquel didn't help his cause. Playing short for Alexei Ramirez, Vizquel showed his age by failing to get a slow grounder up the middle, which allowed Chris Davis to score, making it a 2-0 lead. Then again, Humber gave up a fair number of hard-hit outs, so I'm guessing his luck kind of evened out.

Meanwhile, the White Sox struggled to put together good-looking at-bats against Tommy Hunter. He just threw strikes -- 69 out of 89, to be exact -- and the Sox hit a bunch of flyballs.

When they finally formed an offensive attack in the second half of the game, Juan Pierre played a big part. He led off the sixth with a double and scored on a Paul Konerko groundout, and one inning later, backed up Brent Morel's chalk-burning RBI double with a two-run single down the left-field line, tying the game.

Unfortunately, Konerko grounded to second to end that rally, and the Sox couldn't muster another hit with runners in scoring position. They had the best opportunity to take a lead in the eighth, when Carlos Quentin was hit by a pitch to start the inning. Alejandro De Aza pinch-ran for him, and A.J. Pierzynski singled him to second. That brought Alex Rios to the plate, and the momentum ground to a halt.

It wasn't so much Rios' fault, because he hit a hangwiffem to left. Adam Dunn, on the other hand, struck out for the third time on a ball he thought he tipped (he didn't). Gordon Beckham didn't look much better, chasing a fastball well outside for strike three.

Notes:

*Morel made a terrific diving stab to his right, preventing a double by snagging the ball while it was behind him, and making a strong throw to first.

*Jesse Crain had a good rebound outing, striking out three over two scoreless innings.

*Dunn was the only White Sox starter to not reach base.

*The White Sox are now 5-10 in extra-inning games.

Record: 57-59 | Box score | Play-by-play