TUCSON, Ariz.—Jim Thome is finding his stroke at the right time.
Thome homered twice, Alexei Ramirez also connected and the Chicago White Sox capped a strange day with a 10-10 tie against the Colorado Rockies that was called after nine innings Wednesday.
Thome’s three-run shot off Tomas Santiago in the eighth completed a six-run rally that gave the White Sox a 10-9 lead before Colorado’s Ian Stewart tied it with a sacrifice fly in the ninth. Thome also hit a solo drive in the first, after Ramirez led off with a homer.
The Rockies got big performances from Troy Tulowitzki, Todd Helton and Yorvit Torrealba.
Tulowitzki hit a two-run homer in the second off Nick Masset and added two long doubles. Helton had two hits and drove in three runs, while Torrealba went 3-for-3.
It was a rough day for both starters.
Colorado’s Ubaldo Jimenez gave up four runs in four innings.
“I wasn’t as secure with my pitches. All of them were up in the strike zone,” he said.
Masset was even worse while filling in for ailing Jose Contreras. Masset allowed six runs in three innings, but the offense bailed him out.
In other news, a Chicago radio station and newspaper reported that the team placed infielder Juan Uribe on waivers.
Uribe said management hadn’t told him if he was put on waivers, and he planned to travel with the team to Thursday’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Phoenix.
“Yeah, I’m on the team,” he said in a three-minute interview outside the stadium during the game.
The White Sox staff held a lengthy meeting Wednesday morning, and manager Ozzie Guillen said Uribe “was still on the club” and in the mix for the second-base job as of that time. Guillen also said: “He’s in Phoenix tomorrow.”
Uribe said the first he heard of all this was when his agent, Martin Arburua, called after hearing from reporters.
“My agent called me and said, ‘Juan, what happened?'” Uribe said. “I said, ‘I don’t know.'”
Arburua didn’t return calls from The Associated Press.
Uribe said his agent called White Sox general manager Ken Williams but wasn’t able to get through.
A solid fielder, Uribe was Chicago’s starting shortstop the past three seasons but was switched to second base this spring after the White Sox acquired Gold Glove winner Orlando Cabrera from the Los Angeles Angels.
About two weeks before the Cabrera trade, Uribe and the White Sox agreed to a $4.5 million, one-year contract.
Ramirez also is in the running for the starting job at second base. But with a .333 batting average this spring, Uribe appeared to have an edge over Ramirez and Danny Richar, who has been bothered by a back problem and was scratched from the lineup Wednesday.
