(Sports Network) - The Chicago White Sox shoot for their ninth straight home win this evening, when they continue their four-game series against the Seattle Mariners at U.S. Cellular Field,
After a 4-6 road trip, Chicago returned to the Windy City for the start of a seven-game homestand and got a terrific pitching performance from John Danks. The left-hander tossed eight innings of one-run ball and Juan Pierre went 3- for-5 with a run scored and two RBI, leading the White Sox to a 6-1 win.
Danks (11-7) scattered six hits and a walk to win his fourth consecutive start.
"He has a huge heart. Every time he's out there he fights every pitch," White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said of Danks. "Even when he doesn't have the best stuff, he fights."
Paul Konerko added a solo home run and Alexi Ramirez had three hits, scored a run and drove in another in the victory, Chicago's sixth in seven games against the Mariners this season.
Seattle's Felix Hernandez (7-7) was touched for four runs on nine hits and three walks over seven frames, the ninth straight outing the right-handed ace has lasted at least that long for the Mariners, who were looking for their first three-game winning streak this month.
"My sinker was pretty good, but the strikeout pitch was not," said Hernandez, who finished with a season-low tying three punchouts.
Getting the call for the White Sox tonight will be right-hander Gavin Floyd, who is 5-8 with a 3.87 earned run average. Floyd did not get a decision on Wednesday against the Mariners, but was terrific in scattering five hits over seven scoreless innings of his team's 2-1 loss.
Since getting hammered for six runs in just 2 2/3 innings by the Texas Rangers on June 2, Floyd has surrendered one earned run or less in eight of his last nine starts, but is just 3-2 in that stretch.
Floyd is 1-4 lifetime against the Mariners with a 6.25 ERA in 10 games, eight of which have been starts.
Seattle, meanwhile, will counter with left-hander Ryan Rowland-Smith, who is 1-9 with a 6.26 ERA on the year. Rowland Smith did not get a decision on Thursday against Boston, as he surrendered five runs and eight hits in six innings of an 8-6 loss.
The Mariners are just 3-15 in Rowland-Smith's 18 starts and have dropped all five of his July outings.
Rowland-Smith is 1-0 with a 2.63 ERA in three games (two starts) against the White Sox.