CHICAGO — Ozzie Guillen couldn't help himself after A.J. Pierzynski came through with his best performance this season.
And no, the manager wasn't exactly heaping praise.
"They talked about us trading him two months ago," Guillen said. "Then, the scouts started watching him."
If they saw this, they'd be impressed.
Pierzynski and Alex Rios each had four hits and homered to back a strong start by Jake Peavy, and the Chicago White Sox won their third straight, beating the crosstown Cubs 10-5 on Friday afternoon.
The four hits tied a season high for Rios and set one for Pierzynski, who also drove in a season-best three runs. The White Sox, meanwhile, matched their longest win streak.
Pierzynski raised his average to .237 on a muggy afternoon in which he singled in a run during a two-run first, doubled home another in a three-run fifth off Randy Wells and homered off Jeff Stevens in the seventh. He is 10-for-19 in his past four games against the Cubs — all White Sox wins.
He becomes a 10-and-five player on Monday, meaning he'll have the right to waive any trade, and Pierzynski made two things clear. He wants to stay with the White Sox, and he's had that date circled.
"All the trade talk, this and that, I'm a human being," he said. "Every person goes through it. I've said all along I just want to get through Sunday so it all goes away."
Rios capped a four-run eighth against James Russell with a two-run drive that made it 10-2, after Carlos Quentin went deep leading off while batting for Peavy (5-5).
That was plenty for the former NL Cy Young Award winner, who had dropped three of four starts. He has pitched better lately, allowing two runs and six hits over seven innings in each of his past two starts.
He did give up Alfonso Soriano's 300th homer — a two-run shot that tied it at 2 in the second — but came away with his 100th career win.
Paul Konerko had two hits, including the tiebreaking two-run double in the fifth, and drove in two while scoring twice.
"There are a lot of things that still can happen," said Rios, who's hitting .322. "We haven't quit and we're not going to."
They got the best of Wells (3-5). He is 0-5 with a 6.47 ERA in his past eight starts after allowing five runs and 10 hits in five innings. He has not won since beating Arizona on April 30.
"I'm not going to lie," Wells said. "I'm not exactly beaming with confidence right now."
It's been a rough season for both teams, taking some of the shine off the crosstown series.
Guillen acknowledged tension with general manager Ken Williams and said the relationship needs to improve if they're going to keep working together. That comment came on the heels of a Chicago Sun-Times report that the two nearly came to blows this week after the organization drafted the manager's son Ozney in the 22nd round.
Cubs manager Lou Piniella snapped at critics before the game, calling out White Sox announcer Steve Stone for questioning his handling of prized rookie outfielder Tyler Colvin.
The only good sports vibes in Chicago are surrounding the Blackhawks, who beat Philadelphia to capture the Stanley Cup. There were plenty of Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews jerseys in the crowd.
Fans also drowned out the national anthem, just as they do before hockey games at the United Center, but the cheers turned to boos when the BP Crosstown Cup was presented behind home plate before the game — a loud message to the embattled oil company and title sponsor of the series.
The White Sox wasted little time jumping on Wells, who allowed run-scoring singles to Andruw Jones and Pierzynski in another rough first inning.
That follows a recent pattern that includes a loss to St. Louis on May 28 in which he failed to retire a batter and another against Houston on Sunday when he gave up three runs in the first.
Soriano became the second Cub in three days to reach 300 homers, joining Derrek Lee, when he lined a two-run shot over the center-field wall in the second, after Marlon Byrd got hit, for his 10th homer and his first in 44 at-bats. The home run was Soriano's third and seventh hit in 17 at-bats against Peavy, but a rough outing for Wells led to another loss for the Cubs.
"He's a competitor, and I feel that he'll turn this thing around and give us good performances," Piniella said.
Notes
The game was delayed 21 minutes at the start due to the threat of rain. … Soriano is the 127th major leaguer to hit 300 homers. … Konerko has a 16-game hitting streak at Wrigley Field dating to 2004.