A trip across town made all the difference for the White Sox.

Swept by the Cubs a week ago at Wrigley Field, they were the ones doing the sweeping in their home park on the South Side of town.

They finished off the three-victory run at U.S. Cellular Field on Sunday night, beating the Cubs 5-1 with homers from Carlos Quentin, Brian Anderson and Jim Thome backing solid pitching from Mark Buehrle.

“It’s going to be a different Monday in Chicago,” White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said. “I bet White Sox fans can’t wait to get up for work because I know that was tough for them last weekend. It’s nice to see the fans with a smile on their face.”

Being home turned out to be the biggest factor in the six frenetic games between two first-place teams.

“It’s kind of crazy baseball,” Guillen said.

Cubs manager Lou Piniella wasn’t around for most of his team’s eighth loss in 12 games. He was ejected for the first time this season after arguing an appeal call on a checked swing in the second inning.

And Piniella wasn’t available for comment after the game.

“It was one of those things I think Lou was frustrated,” said bench coach Alan Trammell who filled in for Piniella in the dugout and at the postgame news conference.

The Cubs have their first four-game losing streak of the season and are 16-23 on the road with six more at San Francisco and St. Louis coming up.

“I can’t figure out why that is. We got to correct it if we want to go far,” the Cubs’ Mark DeRosa said. “We’ve got to win on the road, got to be able to go into other people’s backyards and get `Ws.’ We haven’t been able to do it.”

Illustrating the Cubs’ road woes was Aramis Ramirez. He homered four times against the White Sox last weekend but went 0-for-13 at U.S. Cellular the last three games.

Thome’s 15th homer, a two-run blast in the eighth off reliever Jose Ascanio, was his 522nd, moving him past Ted Williams and Willie McCovey into sole possession of 16th place all-time.

The Cubs threatened in the ninth after a walk, and a double by DeRosa. But Jim Edmonds lined to White Sox first baseman Nick Swisher who threw to second to double off DeRosa and douse the threat. Daryle Ward then grounded out to end the game.

The White Sox swept three from the Cubs for only the second time—the first came at Wrigley Field in 1999, two years after interleague play began.

This season the two rivals met as first-place teams for the first time in interleague play and are still atop their respective divisions. The Cubs’ lead in the NL Central was sliced to 2 1/2 games with the loss and the White Sox are 1 1/2 ahead in the AL Central.

Buehrle (6-6) won his fourth straight decision, allowing six hits and an unearned run in seven innings in a matchup of lefties with the Cubs’ Sean Marshall (0-2). Marshall gave up three runs and five hits in seven innings, two of them homers.

“I’m done with this series. I’m kind of glad it’s over,” Buehrle said. “It’s so stressful playing these guys and everything that comes with it. I can’t wait for tomorrow to come in here … kind of relax and get back to normal.”

Quentin, who hit the go-ahead homer Saturday in the White Sox’s 6-5 win, connected for his 19th leading off the fourth to make it 1-0.

Anderson’s fourth homer was a two-run shot in the fifth that just carried over the fence in left center and gave Buehrle a three-run cushion.

The Cubs broke through in the seventh after DeRosa’s ground ball went through third baseman Joe Crede’s legs for an error. After Edmonds singled and Henry Blanco filed out, Ronny Cedeno delivered a two-out RBI single before Buehrle struck out Kosuke Fukudome with two on.

Piniella was ejected after protesting an appeal call from first base umpire Chad Fairchild. When Crede had a check swing at a potential third strike, an appeal was made to Fairchild, who ruled no swing and a ball.

That brought Piniella out of the dugout yelling in Fairchild’s direction. Home plate umpire Rob Drake ejected Piniella, who then began arguing with Drake.

Crew chief Jeff Kellogg came down from third to try to settle the situation. Piniella, known throughout his career for tantrums against umpires, left the field but not before waving at Fairchild and making another angry comment in his direction.

“He (Piniella) stood up for us. I guess the replay showed that he swung and from my angle it looked like he did,” said Marshall, who escaped the inning without a run scoring.

Trammell gave Fairchild an earful in the fifth. The White Sox turned an-around-the horn double play when Fairchild called Cedeno out, even though Swisher dropped the ball after the play. A replay appeared to show that Cedeno beat the throw.

A trip across town made all the difference for the White Sox.

Swept by the Cubs a week ago at Wrigley Field, they were the ones doing the sweeping in their home park on the South Side of town.

They finished off the three-victory run at U.S. Cellular Field on Sunday night, beating the Cubs 5-1 with homers from Carlos Quentin, Brian Anderson and Jim Thome backing solid pitching from Mark Buehrle.

“It’s going to be a different Monday in Chicago,” White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said. “I bet White Sox fans can’t wait to get up for work because I know that was tough for them last weekend. It’s nice to see the fans with a smile on their face.”

Being home turned out to be the biggest factor in the six frenetic games between two first-place teams.

“It’s kind of crazy baseball,” Guillen said.

Cubs manager Lou Piniella wasn’t around for most of his team’s eighth loss in 12 games. He was ejected for the first time this season after arguing an appeal call on a checked swing in the second inning.

And Piniella wasn’t available for comment after the game.

“It was one of those things I think Lou was frustrated,” said bench coach Alan Trammell who filled in for Piniella in the dugout and at the postgame news conference.

The Cubs have their first four-game losing streak of the season and are 16-23 on the road with six more at San Francisco and St. Louis coming up.

“I can’t figure out why that is. We got to correct it if we want to go far,” the Cubs’ Mark DeRosa said. “We’ve got to win on the road, got to be able to go into other people’s backyards and get `Ws.’ We haven’t been able to do it.”

Illustrating the Cubs’ road woes was Aramis Ramirez. He homered four times against the White Sox last weekend but went 0-for-13 at U.S. Cellular the last three games.

Thome’s 15th homer, a two-run blast in the eighth off reliever Jose Ascanio, was his 522nd, moving him past Ted Williams and Willie McCovey into sole possession of 16th place all-time.

The Cubs threatened in the ninth after a walk, and a double by DeRosa. But Jim Edmonds lined to White Sox first baseman Nick Swisher who threw to second to double off DeRosa and douse the threat. Daryle Ward then grounded out to end the game.

The White Sox swept three from the Cubs for only the second time—the first came at Wrigley Field in 1999, two years after interleague play began.

This season the two rivals met as first-place teams for the first time in interleague play and are still atop their respective divisions. The Cubs’ lead in the NL Central was sliced to 2 1/2 games with the loss and the White Sox are 1 1/2 ahead in the AL Central.

Buehrle (6-6) won his fourth straight decision, allowing six hits and an unearned run in seven innings in a matchup of lefties with the Cubs’ Sean Marshall (0-2). Marshall gave up three runs and five hits in seven innings, two of them homers.

“I’m done with this series. I’m kind of glad it’s over,” Buehrle said. “It’s so stressful playing these guys and everything that comes with it. I can’t wait for tomorrow to come in here … kind of relax and get back to normal.”

Quentin, who hit the go-ahead homer Saturday in the White Sox’s 6-5 win, connected for his 19th leading off the fourth to make it 1-0.

Anderson’s fourth homer was a two-run shot in the fifth that just carried over the fence in left center and gave Buehrle a three-run cushion.

The Cubs broke through in the seventh after DeRosa’s ground ball went through third baseman Joe Crede’s legs for an error. After Edmonds singled and Henry Blanco filed out, Ronny Cedeno delivered a two-out RBI single before Buehrle struck out Kosuke Fukudome with two on.

Piniella was ejected after protesting an appeal call from first base umpire Chad Fairchild. When Crede had a check swing at a potential third strike, an appeal was made to Fairchild, who ruled no swing and a ball.

That brought Piniella out of the dugout yelling in Fairchild’s direction. Home plate umpire Rob Drake ejected Piniella, who then began arguing with Drake.

Crew chief Jeff Kellogg came down from third to try to settle the situation. Piniella, known throughout his career for tantrums against umpires, left the field but not before waving at Fairchild and making another angry comment in his direction.

“He (Piniella) stood up for us. I guess the replay showed that he swung and from my angle it looked like he did,” said Marshall, who escaped the inning without a run scoring.

Trammell gave Fairchild an earful in the fifth. The White Sox turned an-around-the horn double play when Fairchild called Cedeno out, even though Swisher dropped the ball after the play. A replay appeared to show that Cedeno beat the throw.

Brian Roberts might have been playing a lot of games at Wrigley Field instead of making a stop with the Baltimore Orioles’ on their first visit to the historic ballpark.

Rampant offseason trade rumors had him on the verge of joining the Chicago Cubs—and whether they were on target or not—he showed Tuesday night why he attracted so much interest.

Roberts had three hits to reach 1,000 for his career, closer George Sherrill struck out the side after the Cubs loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth and the Orioles ended Chicago’s 14-game home-field winning streak with a 7-5 victory.

“It’s a great atmosphere,” Roberts said. “The fans love their baseball. … What we dealt with for four months you think about it a little bit. It’s just a fun night to be part of.”

The Orioles led 7-1 before it got tense over the last few innings, especially the ninth.

Chicago loaded the bases off Sherrill on Geovany Soto’s single, a walk to Mark DeRosa and Ryan Theriot’s infield single before the left-hander found his strikeout pitch and got his 26th save in 29 chances.

He struck out Ronny Cedeno, Kosuke Fukudome and Henry Blanco to end the game.

“It makes it a little more stressful, but I don’t get nervous out there,” Sherrill said. “I get nervous when it’s someone else, not me.”

Cubs manager Lou Piniella, whose team lost at home for the first time since May 17, wasn’t happy with his team’s final three at-bats.

“It was a good comeback. We got too far behind. … We didn’t have three good at-bats with the bases loaded. We didn’t swing at strikes,” Piniella said.

“We got to put the ball in play and we couldn’t,” Blanco said. “You do the best you can. This guy has 26 saves in the big leagues and you knew it wouldn’t be easy.”

Roberts had two singles and his sixth triple of the season, giving him 1,000 hits.

“I didn’t really think about it. But if it is a big hit, it makes it a little more significant,” Roberts said. “It didn’t seem like it at the time, but later in the game it turned out to be.”

Roberts, for sure, heard the trade rumors. He couldn’t help but do so during the offseason.

“I thought I was going to be a Cub in December,” Roberts said before the game. “I didn’t know what was going to happen. … Once the season started you just kinda go out and play your spot and the rest will take care of itself. I really haven’t thought about in a long time.”

Jeremy Guthrie (4-7) allowed only four hits and a run over the first six innings as the Orioles took a 7-1 lead.

But he was driven out in the seventh when Jim Edmonds hit a three-run homer after singles by Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez, slicing the lead to 7-4. After a walk, reliever Jim Johnson got DeRosa to hit into Chicago’s fourth double play of the night to douse the rally.

Ramirez hit an RBI single in the eighth and the Cubs still had two on before Sherrill relieved and got pinch-hitter Matt Murton to fly out.

Cubs’ starter Sean Marshall (0-1)—just recalled from Triple-A—lasted only 4 2-3 innings, giving up seven hits and four runs. The Orioles went up by six with three unearned runs in the sixth off reliever Michael Wuertz.

Luke Scott hit a two-run triple, a liner that got by right fielder Kosuke Fukudome in the fourth. It followed a walk and single by Ramon Hernandez.

Fukudome hit his sixth homer leading off the fourth to make it 2-1.

Roberts singled in the fifth and scored on Nick Markakis’ RBI double. Markakis moved up on a fly ball and scored on Kevin Millar’s RBI single that finished Marshall and made it 4-1.

Scott was initially credited with a double in the sixth when he hit a high pop that shortstop Theriot signaled was his. But when left fielder Eric Patterson called him off late, Theriot got out of his way and the ball dropped. The official scorer changed the ruling to an error on Patterson and one out later, Alex Cintron hit an RBI double.

He scored when Roberts drove one into the gap in right center for a triple. Markakis then delivered an RBI single.

Ozzie Guillen took his shots, and now, his hitters are taking theirs.

Nick Swisher and Alexei Ramirez homered, and Joe Crede had another big day at the plate as the Chicago White Sox routed the Minnesota Twins again, 12-2 on Sunday for their sixth straight win.

The latest outburst came exactly one week after Guillen lashed out at his struggling hitters. Since then?

Fifty-four runs during this streak. They’ve scored 10 or more in three consecutive games for the first time since July 15-17, 2000, against St. Louis and Milwaukee. The 15 hits Sunday gave Chicago at least 15 in three straight games for the first time since July 23-24, 1932, against Cleveland.

The most important number, though, is this: zero. That’s how many losses the White Sox have since Guillen’s tirade in Tampa Bay, and their lead over second-place Minnesota in the AL Central is now 5 1/2 games.

“You want to pull your own weight, individually or as a unit,” Chicago’s Paul Konerko said. “You don’t have to score 10 runs every game. We should be able to score four to six runs a night on average to give these guys a chance to win. … We’ve got to have some easy games, and the offense has to pull their weight on that.”

The hitters did just that, and Guillen was in a much better mood than he was a week earlier.

“I said in spring training I think this team can be special,” he said. “I don’t know how far we’re going to get, but this team has a chance to be special.”

After winning the first two games of this four-game series 10-6 and 11-2, the White Sox quickly jumped on the Twins, who dropped their fourth straight and matched their longest losing streak since Sept. 12-16.

Swisher’s three-run homer off Kevin Slowey (2-6) in the second made it 3-1 and Chicago broke it open with five more in the third, with Paul Konerko’s two-run double highlighting that rally. Ramirez added a two-run shot in the fifth, giving Chicago 16 homers in this streak.

“Another day of not being able to get through the first part of the ballgame,” Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. “Slowey, I think he tried everything. Good pitches, bad pitches, they seemed to be hitting just about everything we threw up there.”

That was more than enough for Gavin Floyd (7-3), who struck out a career-high nine and walked one while allowing two runs and six hits in seven innings.

He had plenty of support from an offense that roughed up Slowey for eight runs in three innings—after the start was delayed 89 minutes by rain.

“They hit just about everything—whether it was a good pitch, medium pitch or a very poor pitch,” Slowey said. “It’s tough. I’m sure some of the older guys will tell you and they’ve said it to us young pitchers, that you’ll go through stretches and it’s sometimes inexplicable.”

Swisher, whose average has hovered around .200, has a seven-game hitting streak. He pumped his fist after rounding first on the homer and had more to celebrate in the fifth when he added an RBI double.

Crede, meanwhile, continued his surge.

He is 10-for-15 with 12 RBIs in his last four games after going 2-for-4 and driving in two runs on Sunday. After hitting homers in three straight games for the first time in his career, including two each on Friday and Saturday, Crede doubled and singled and scored twice.

One week earlier, Guillen unleashed a tirade that seemed to be aimed at general manager Kenny Williams and hitting coach Greg Walker after watching his team go 5-for-39 with runners in scoring position while dropping three of four at Tampa Bay. Guillen called for roster changes while saying his job and Walker’s could be in jeopardy

Paul Konerko was just glad he put an end to the game. Now he hopes he can halt his season-long slump, too.

Konerko hit a two-run homer in the 15th inning Wednesday night, sending the Chicago White Sox to a 6-4 victory over the Kansas City Royals.

His teammates went a little nuts in celebration.

“I felt like a rookie again,” Konerko said. “I got a pie in my face, I got champagne and beer and whatever the heck on my head and all that. I have to go back to the trainer now. Toby Hall got me pretty good with some shaving cream and I got to get it (his eye) cleaned out.”

Konerko, batting only .198 when he came up against Jimmy Gobble (0-1), hit his seventh homer, a drive to left field to score Carlos Quentin, who had drawn a leadoff walk.

Konerko is now 5-for-6 with four homers in his career against the Royals’ left-hander.

“I can’t say I was even happy, more just like relief because we won the game and it was over and I did something positive for the team,” Konerko said.

The Friendly Confines have never seemed friendlier, and that’s a big reason why the Cubs are the best team in baseball entering June for the first time in 100 years.

Alfonso Soriano homered, Jim Edmonds drove in two runs, and the Chicago Cubs beat the reeling Colorado Rockies 5-3 on Sunday to complete a perfect seven-game homestand.

The Cubs entered June with the best record in baseball for the first time since 1908, when they last won a World Series. They started the new month by finishing a four-game sweep of the defending National League champions and sending them to their seventh straight loss.

Chicago is 26-8 at Wrigley Field after wrapping up its first perfect homestand of at least seven games since April 14-26, 1970. Now, they’ll try to establish some momentum away from home.

The road has been far less friendly, and one concern is that they’ve played 11 more games at home than they have on the road.

To shape their future, the Chicago Bulls could turn to the past.

Doug Collins, who guided the Bulls and a young Michael Jordan from 1986-89 but couldn’t get them past Detroit in the playoffs, has talked with the team about returning as coach.

“I have spoken with Bulls management recently about their head coaching vacancy and will resume conversations after the conclusion of my work for TNT in the Western Conference finals,” Collins said in a statement Thursday from Los Angeles, where he was working Game 5 of the Spurs-Lakers series. “There is no agreement in place.”

During a pre-game interview on TNT, Collins said he talked with both Bulls general manager John Paxson and team owner Jerry Reinsdorf.

“I have not been offered. I have not accepted,” Collins said.

“Jerry Reinsdorf has been a friend of mine the last 20 years so he and I have spoken on a lot of occasions over the last 20 years. … the whole thing is there’s interest on both sides.”

Collins added that as soon as the Western Conference finals were over: “We’ve agreed to sit down and talk to see exactly what is there.”

Known for his emotional style, Collins also coached the Detroit Pistons and the Washington Wizards—when Jordan was head of basketball operations there and made a comeback as a player.

Chicago has had a vacancy since interim coach Jim Boylan was fired after the end of a disappointing 33-49 season. Boylan had replaced Scott Skiles, who was fired last Christmas Eve after the Bulls’ surprisingly sluggish start following three straight playoff appearances.

The Bulls have a nucleus of young talent and also won the recent draft lottery, giving them the overall No. 1 pick next month when they are expected to choose between Kansas State’s Michael Beasley or Memphis’ Derrick Rose.

But they are coming off a season fraught with problems that included players missing practices and having angry exchanges with coaches. Joakim Noah, last year’s first-round pick, was recently arrested in Gainesville, Fla., for having an open container of alcohol and was also charged with marijuana possession.

Collins, who appeared content to stay in TV, where is considered one of the best analysts, could be ready to tackle an NBA head coaching job for the fourth time. He’s been fired three times. Web sites at both the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Tribune said Collins would fill Chicago’s vacancy.

Collins said he decided to explore the job after getting the go-ahead and encouragement from his son Chris, who is an assistant coach at Duke.

“Chris has always been the reluctant one. He basically really gave me the real freedom to explore opportunities that maybe I hadn’t done over the last five years,” Collins said.

Paxson released a statement that was posted on the team’s Web site.

“I have been in contact with Doug Collins in regard to our head coaching position. Contrary to some reports that are currently out there, we have not reached an agreement,” said Paxson, who played under Collins during his first stint in Chicago.

“Right now, his commitment is covering the Western Conference finals for TNT. When that series concludes, we will continue our dialogue. In the meantime, I will continue to talk to other candidates and review our options,” Paxson added.

The Bulls had been interested in former Suns coach Mike D’Antoni, but he took the Knicks job before Chicago could make an offer.

Collins had a 137-109 record during his first stint with the Bulls, going 40-42 in his first season when they were swept in the first round by Boston.

Chicago was 50-32 the next year but was beaten by the Pistons in five games in the conference semifinals. The Bulls were 47-35 the next season and again were eliminated by Detroit, this time in six games in the conference finals.

Collins was fired and replaced by Phil Jackson, whose first team also lost to Detroit in the conference finals, 4-3. The following season the Bulls swept the Pistons and went on to the first of six championships in the 90s with Jordan and Scottie Pippen.

Collins worked 2 1/2 seasons with the Pistons starting in 1995, going 46-36, 54-28 and 21-24. He was let go amid reports his style caused friction with some players.

He was 37-45 in both seasons in Washington but couldn’t get the Wizards into the playoffs. He was fired shortly after Jordan was denied a return to the front office.

Collins’ overall record is 332-287 and 15-23 in the postseason.

You won’t find Carlos Quentin’s name on an All-Star ballot, but he’s right where he belongs in the middle of a first-place lineup.

The White Sox weren’t positive their new outfielder would even make the roster out of spring training because of a bum shoulder, yet the Arizona castoff is turning his surprise start into a starring role.

Quentin hit a tiebreaking single in the eighth inning and Chicago beat the Cleveland Indians 3-1 Thursday night for its eighth straight victory.

“That’s the reason he’s batting third,” White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said.

Quentin had two RBIs, giving him 40 this season, and Jermaine Dye added a run-scoring single in the eighth to finish off a three-game sweep of the punchless Indians, who have scored only 13 runs during their six-game losing streak.

“It’s fun today,” Guillen said. “But I take it one day at a time. You can’t get too high, you can’t get low. We’ve got a good thing going. When you have a run like this you can’t wait to get back to the ballpark.”

The Indians, 4 1/2 games behind AL Central-leading Chicago, return home after a winless road trip and in a profound hitting slump. They had just two hits: Grady Sizemore’s RBI double in the third and Ben Francisco’s bunt single in the sixth.

“You can’t give into it,” Indians manager Eric Wedge said of the team’s slugging woes. “I know the results aren’t there. I’m not happy about it. They’re not happy about it. But you’ve got to keep fighting.”

Scott Linebrink (1-0) got the win, striking out two in the eighth. Bobby Jenks pitched the ninth for his 12th save for the White Sox, who own a 3 1/2 -game lead over second-place Minnesota.

White Sox starter Mark Buehrle didn’t get a decision, but pitched one of his best games of the season, allowing one run and two hits with four walks in seven innings. Buehrle had been struggling, but has given up just two runs in his last 13 2-3 innings.

“Any starting pitcher wants to win,” Buehrle said. “But I’ve always said I can go 0-0 and if they win all my starts we’ll be in the right place at the end of the year.”

Jermaine Dye watched A.J Pierzynski go hard into second base to help break up a double play. Dye then delivered big shot of his own.

Dye hit a go-ahead three-run homer in the sixth inning, and added solo shot in the seventh, and the Chicago White Sox won their seventh straight game with a 7-2 victory over the Cleveland Indians on Wednesday night.

Michael Aubrey hit a solo home run in the second inning for the Indians, who have lost a season-high five straight games.

With a 2-0 lead in the sixth inning, Indians starter Paul Byrd (2-4) allowed a leadoff single to Orlando Cabrera and walked Pierzynski.

Carlos Quentin followed with a sharp grounder to third baseman Casey Blake. Blake started what could have been a 5-4-3 double play, but Pierzynski slid hard at second, putting pressure on second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera.

Cabrera got off an accurate throw, but first base umpire Paul Schrieber called Quentin safe. After Indians manager Eric Wedge argued the call, Dye hit a 2-1 pitch into the left field seats, putting the White Sox ahead.

“You can’t teach hustle. No matter if you’re hitting good or you’re struggling you can still go out and hustle. Certain plays are the key in the ballgame,” said Dye. “It definitely was a big play. Anytime you break up a double play with the middle of the lineup coming up, you never know what can happen.”

Byrd saw the play differently.

“Instead of letting Jermaine Dye hit a sacrifice fly or making my pitch, I tried to strike him out,” said Byrd. “The play definitely changed the game but I can’t cry about it or blame anybody else. The umpire made a mistake but I have to adapt and overcome that and make the pitch.”

Javier Vazquez (5-3) overpowered a struggling Indians lineup with seven strikeouts in seven innings. He allowed two runs on four hits and ended his outing by striking out Jhonny Peralta.

“He seemed to get better as the game was going on. He didn’t have a real good breaking ball tonight, but he battled through it,” Pierzynski said.

Geovany Soto didn’t get the automatic home run he deserved. Cubs manager Lou Piniella thinks he probably likes it that way.

Soto was credited with an inside-the-park three-run homer in the fourth inning despite replays showing that it should have been an automatic home run in Chicago’s 7-2 win over Houston on Monday night.

The ball bounced just to the right of the yellow line on the wall in left-center field.

“It was a home run, but I think he’d probably rather have the inside-the-park home run anyway,” Piniella said.

Astros center fielder Michael Bourn scooped it up and threw it home, but Soto scored easily before the throw got there.

“Never in my whole life had I had an inside-the-park home run,” Soto said. “I didn’t think it was out. It’s so big that left-center area I didn’t think I hit it over it. I thought double, maybe triple if they misplayed it.”