Thome Powers White Sox Past Rays With 512th Career Homer

Jim Thome hit career homer No. 512 and drove in three runs, John Danks struck out eight in seven innings and the Chicago White Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays 6-0 on Sunday. Thome also tied a career high with four hits. His second homer in the last three games tied him with Hall of Famers Ernie Banks and Eddie Mathews for 19th place on the all-time list.

Danks (2-1) allowed three singles for the White Sox, who have won 11 of their last 16 games. The left-hander has not given up a run in two straight starts, totaling 14 2-3 innings. It's the first time he has won back-to-back starts since last July. The Rays had just one runner in scoring position --Carl Crawford reached third with two outs in the fourth-- against Danks. (More MLB stories.)