Sox 3, Cubs 2: Konerko gets hit, Beckham wins it

Jeff Samardzija became the newest villain in the Crosstown Classic, but Gordon Beckham was the hero.

After Beckham singled in the first, Paul Konerko got the White Sox on the board quickly with a 2 run shot into the left field bleachers. When Konerko came up in the 3rd inning, Samardzija beaned Konerko in the face forcing the captain to leave the game. It was pretty close to his eye, but after the game it has been reported that Konerko has no vision issues.

After a shaky first inning where the Cubs got one run back on a Starlin Castro sac fly, Philip Humber settled down. After Konerko got drilled, Humber threw one behind Bryan LaHair and both teams received warnings.

The score remained 2-1 until the bottom of the 7th when Ian Stewart led off with a single to center. After a Welington Castillo pop up, Darwin Barney doubled down the line putting runners at 2nd and 3rd. With Samardzija coming up, Robin Ventura gave Humber the hook in favor of Matt Thornton. Samardzija greeted Thornton with a first pitch single to left scoring Stewart and putting runners on the corner with one out. Thornton responded by getting David Dejesus to pop out and Tony Campana tried to bunt for a two out hit and popped it up.

With Samardzija still on the bump with one out in the 8th, Beckham went deep to give the Sox a 3-2 lead.

Ventura called on Nate Jones to hold the lead in the 8th. Castro singled to center to lead off the frame, but LaHair went down swinging and Alfonso Soriano bounced into a 6-4-3 to end the inning.

Addison Reed got the call in the 9th and after getting the first two outs, Barney lifted a soft fly to right field. Alex Rios decided to pull a Howie Kendrick and lost it in the sun which put the tying run at 2nd. Reed blew it by pinch hitter Reed Johnson though to give the Sox the victory.

* Kerry Wood came on for Samardzija in the 8th and struck out Dayan Viciedo in his final appearance.

* In the bottom of the 5th, David Dejesus found the left center field gap. Viciedo got to it and gunned it in to Beckham but Dejesus was on the bag. Beckham dove for him, basically pulled a Bill Goldberg and knocked him off the bag. The umpire called Dejesus out. Dale Sveum came out to argue and received the boot.

* Alejandro De Aza looked absolutely sick at the plate today, going 0-4 with 3 strikeouts.

Record: 19-21| Box