BC-BBA–White Sox-Devil Rays,0418

White Sox 4, Devil Rays 1

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) – Scott Schoeneweis allowed an unearned run and five hits in 6 2-3 innings to lead the Chicago White Sox over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 4-1 Saturday night.

Schoeneweis (1-1) made his second start of the season. The left-hander had made 98 consecutive relief appearances since June 25, 2002, before his start for the White Sox April 8.

Damaso Marte threw two scoreless innings for his first save, completing a six-hitter.

Tampa Bay had just one runner reach second through six innings against Schoeneweis – Damian Rolls in the first.

Juan Uribe drove in two runs for the White Sox, who have won six of eight. Uribe went 2-for-4 and has nine hits in his last 19 at-bats.

Victor Zambrano (3-1) failed in his bid to become the major leagues’ first four-game winner, allowing three runs, six hits, five walks and two hit batters in seven innings. He was looking to become the first pitcher since Nolan Ryan in 1975 to win four times in his team’s first 10 games.

Timo Perez put the White Sox ahead 1-0 with a sacrifice fly in the second. Perez grounded into a bases-loaded double play and Uribe had an RBI single in the fourth to make it 3-0.

Chicago loaded the bases again with two outs in the fifth, but Zambrano got Perez to hit an inning-ending grounder.

Aubrey Huff walked and went to third on Julio Lugo’s two-out single in the seventh. Schoeneweis appeared to work out of the jam, but Huff scored when shortstop Jose Valentin misplayed Brook Fordyce’s grounder for an error.

Cliff Politte walked pinch-hitter Robert Fick, loading the bases. Politte then struck out Carl Crawford to end the inning.

Uribe made it 4-1 with an RBI grounder in the eighth.

Politte departed after walking Rolls and hitting Rocco Baldelli with a pitch in the bottom half. Marte struck out Huff and induced a double-play grounder from Jose Cruz Jr.

Notes: Tampa Bay hitting coach Lee Elia was released from an area hospital Saturday after tests for abdominal discomfort. Devil Rays manager Lou Piniella said Elia might rejoin the team Sunday. … Valentin was back in the lineup after missing Friday’s game with hamstring tightness. … Chicago DH Frank Thomas walked in the first three at-bats. He has nine walks in the past five games and 1,399 in his career. … Cruz went 0-for-4, ending a streak of reaching base on a walk or hit in 29 consecutive games.

AP-ES-04-17-04 2055EDT