Chicago ? Paul Konerko started quickly this season — seven homers in his first 14 games — then fell into a deep slump that he’s still trying to shake.

Struggling around .200 with his batting average, Konerko delivered for baseball’s best team with a broken-bat single Friday night, rallying the Chicago White Sox to their 27th victory in 36 games.

“When you are scuffling, you are hopeful when you do well it’s in a meaningful spot. That’s all you can hope for,” Konerko said after his two-run, bases-loaded single in the seventh helped the White Sox rally to a 5-3 victory over Baltimore.

“You hope that something breaks through at one time or another,” Konerko said.

Konerko entered Friday night’s game batting .197 and was in a 5-for-44 slide before he went 2-for-3.

“No question a few of us have not swung the bat well here early on. But when the team wins, that buys you time to get right, and there is less urgency,” Konerko said.

Mark Buehrle (6-1) allowed five hits in eight innings to win his fifth straight decision and was bailed out when the White Sox came from down 3-0.

The Orioles scored all their runs with two outs in the fourth and then didn’t have a baserunner in the final five innings.

Dustin Hermanson pitched a perfect ninth for his eighth save in as many opportunities. Hermanson still has not allowed a run in 181/3 innings this season.

“Buehrle doesn’t really have a pattern. He throws everything on the corners,” Orioles first baseman Rafael Palmeiro said.

“He threw a lot of strikes. I’ve seen him do that before. You’ve got to get him early.”

Buehrle wasn’t surprised by the comeback.

“In previous years I think we’d be kind of down on ourselves and kind of put it in the books that we were done, but the way we’ve battled back it seems like we give up a couple or runs and this offense will get them back sometime,” Buehrle said.

Chicago has had a lead in all 36 games.

“In spring training we knew were going to be good, but I don’t think anybody expected us to be this good,” Buehrle said.

Mariners 14, Red Sox 7

Seattle — Adrian Beltre’s three-run homer, a 440-foot shot off the top of the out-of-town scoreboard in left-center field, highlighted a three-homer night for Seattle, and the Mariners beat Boston.

Beltre had two hits and a season-high four RBIs. Randy Winn added three hits, including a three-run double in the fifth that gave Seattle a 12-6 lead. Ichiro Suzuki had three hits, including an RBI triple.

Richie Sexson and Raul Ibanez added solo home runs for Seattle in the third inning, the first time the Mariners have hit consecutive homers this season.

Yankees 9, Athletics 4

Oakland, Calif. — Gary Sheffield hit a two-run homer, and Tony Womack tripled in two runs to lead New York to its season-best sixth straight victory.

Mike Mussina (4-2) won his third straight start, striking out a season-high nine in seven strong innings as the Yankees won six in a row for the first time since last season’s playoffs — just before their historic collapse in the AL championship series against the eventual World Series champion Boston Red Sox.

Rangers 9, Twins 6, 11 innings

Minneapolis — Chad Allen hit an RBI double off Joe Nathan in the 11th inning to lift Texas over Minnesota. Michael Young went 2-for-6 with a homer and triple, Richard Hidalgo was 3-for-5 with a homer and a double, and Joaquin Benoit pitched 31/3 innings of hitless relief to help the Rangers to rally from a 6-2 deficit.

With the score tied at 6 heading into the 11th, the Rangers got three straight hits off Nathan (1-1), the last coming on Allen’s double that glanced off of right fielder Jacque Jones, who lost the ball in the lights.

Indians 6, Blue Jays 4

Cleveland — Ben Broussard doubled home three runs, and Ryan Ludwick hit a solo homer as Cleveland snapped Toronto’s three-game winning streak.

Cleveland won for the third time in four games and improved to 2-8 against left-handed starters and 8-0 when scoring six or more runs.

Bob Howry (3-1) pitched one perfect inning of relief, and Bob Wickman worked the ninth for his 10th save in 12 tries.

Broussard hit a three-run double in a four-run first inning off Ted Lilly (1-4).