Thomas still torrid

Chicago slugger blasts two home runs

? The Big Hurt is swinging a big bat again.

Frank Thomas homered twice and drove in four runs as the Chicago White Sox beat the Seattle Mariners, 9-4, Tuesday. The two-time AL MVP went 3-for-3 and has three homers in two days since coming back from wisdom tooth surgery.

“I’m not real excited about (the home runs),” Thomas said. “It’s still spring training. I was more impressed with the line drive base hit.”

After criticizing White Sox management and teammate Paul Konerko early in spring training, one of the most important things Thomas has done since is patch things up with manager Jerry Manuel.

“Sure, I think I can get back (to the MVP level),” Thomas said. “The dedication is there, the focus is there. But it won’t be a selfish thing anymore. Magglio Ordonez is behind me, and he’s one of the greatest young hitters in the league. Maybe (having Ordonez behind him) will make it easier for me to get back to where I was.”

Also, 16 members of the White Sox were ready to refuse a drug test Tuesday in hopes of making steroid testing mandatory.

The players ultimately decided to take the test after consulting with Gene Orza, the No. 2 official of the players’ union.

In other games:

Mets 6, Expos 6, 11 innings

At Viera, Fla., Brad Wilkerson had three extra-base hits and Montreal roughed up Tom Glavine in a game called after 11 innings. Glavine allowed four runs and nine hits in 32¼3 innings.

Red Sox 5, Marlins 4

Seattle's Edgar Martinez, left, barely beats the throw to Chicago's Frank Thomas at first base in a pick-off attempt. Thomas hit two home runs and had four RBIs in the White Sox's 9-4 victory Tuesday at Tucson Electric Park in Tucson, Ariz.

At Jupiter, Fla., Kevin Millar traded barbs with his former teammates, then went 2-for-4 and drove in two runs to help Boston beat Florida.

Blue Jays 5, Astros 0

At Dunedin, Fla., Cory Lidle allowed four hits in four innings as Toronto extended its shutout streak to 20 innings.

Braves 5, Dodgers 3

At Kissimmee, Fla., Atlanta ace Greg Maddux was perfect for his second straight outing, facing the minimum 12 batters in four scoreless innings.

Reds 6, Devil Rays 5

At Sarasota, Fla., Ken Griffey Jr. hit his fifth home run of the spring and made a running catch in center field.

Twins 9, Pirates 1

At Fort Myers, Fla., Jacque Jones hit his third home run of the spring and Chris Gomez went 3-for-4 with a solo homer and a two-run double.

Indians 9, Phillies 8

At Clearwater, Fla., Cleveland starter C.C. Sabathia allowed one run and four hits in four innings in his best outing of the spring. Bobby Abreu and Ricky Ledee had two-run homers.

Orioles 4, Cardinals 0

At Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Rodrigo Lopez and two relievers combined on a four-hitter as Baltimore beat St. Louis.

Tigers 3, Yankees 2

At Tampa, Fla., Roger Clemens allowed two unearned runs and two hits over four innings as Detroit dropped New York to a major league-worst 3-9.

Diamondbacks 5, Rangers 4

At Surprise, Ariz., Randy Johnson struck out four of his first five batters but his scoreless streak ended at 11 innings.

Angels 5, Giants 4

At Tempe, Ariz., Mickey Callaway pitched four scoreless innings as Anaheim won a rematch of the World Series.