Sox live with Dye, top Tribe 7-2

Milwaukee’s Ben Sheets shut down the Pirates, 4-1.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

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

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.

Jim Thome followed Dye’s eighth home run of the season in the seventh with his second homer in as many days and ninth on the season.

With a 2-0 lead in the sixth inning, Indians starter Paul Byrd (2-4) allowed a leadoff single to Orlando Cabrera and walked A.J. 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 went in hard at second, putting pressure on second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera.

Cabrera got off a clean 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.

Byrd allowed five runs on five hits in 51‚Ñ3 innings. He struck out two and walked one.

Brewers 4, Pirates 1

PITTSBURGH — Ben Sheets limited Pittsburgh to one run despite allowing 11 hits in his second complete game of the season, and Rickie Weeks homered and scored twice to lead Milwaukee.

The Brewers, who began the three-game series Tuesday with a 20-42 record at PNC Park, can sweep a series there for the first time since the ballpark opened in 2001 by winning tonight.

Corey Hart doubled and scored on J.J. Hardy’s single in the second before Hart drove in a run during a Brewers two-run fifth that made it 3-1. Weeks reached when first baseman Adam LaRoche misplayed his routine grounder and scored on Ryan Braun’s triple, with Braun scoring on Hart’s single.

Weeks hit his sixth homer with two out in the sixth against Ian Snell (2-3), who is winless in seven starts since April 12. Snell, 0-3 over that span, gave up nine hits and four runs, two earned, over six innings.

Sheets (5-1), the Brewers’ ace, gave up 13 earned runs over 192‚Ñ3 innings during his three previous May starts, losing once while getting two no-decisions.