Arlington, TX (My Sportsbook) - Hank Blalock homered and knocked in four runs, and the Rangers beat the White Sox, 9-6, in a rain-soaked affair.

The game was stopped for a total of three hours and 47 minutes, more than the actual length of game action: 2:37.

Brandon McCarthy (3-0) tossed the minimum five innings to get the win, allowing a run on three hits. Ian Kinsler and Omar Vizquel each had two hits and an RBI for Texas, which had dropped two straight.

A.J. Pierzynski hit his seventh career grand slam, but Jose Contreras was lit up for seven runs on seven hits and two walks in just 3 1/3 frames for Chicago, which won the opener of this three-game set, 4-3.

Chicago got the game's first run, on Alexei Ramirez's second-inning sacrifice fly.

However, the Rangers stormed in front with nine runs between the third and fourth innings.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Kinsler opened the third with back-to-back walks, and after a sacrifice moved the runners into scoring position and Michael Young struck out, Blalock blasted a three-run shot to right-center field.

Contreras got out of the inning, but ran into more trouble in the fourth. David Murphy, Nelson Cruz and Chris Davis started the inning with three consecutive doubles to plate two runs.

Two batters later, Kinsler smacked a run-scoring single to left, ending Contreras' outing. Clayton Richard entered, but Vizquel greeted him with a double to chase home Kinsler.

After Young lined out, Blalock hit yet another Rangers double to plate Vizquel, and Marlon Byrd followed with a single to bring in Blalock. Murphy popped up to end the inning, but not before Texas had taken a 9-1 lead.

A long rain delay interrupted the contest in the fifth inning, and after the game resumed the White Sox rallied in the sixth.

Facing Luis Mendoza with two away, Jim Thome singled. Jermaine Dye was then hit by a high pitch on the left wrist, which caused him to drop to the ground in pain. Chicago trainers and manager Ozzie Guillen walked on the field to attend to Dye, who left, and Brent Lillibridge entered as a pinch-runner.

Konerko walked to load the bases for Pierzynski, who crushed a pitch into the right field stands to get Chicago within 9-5.

The White Sox trimmed their deficit by another run in the seventh when, with runners on the corners and two outs, Thome doubled to right.

Following a short delay in the home eighth, Frank Francisco took to the mound in the ninth, retiring the side in order for his seventh save of the season.

Game Notes

X-rays of Dye's hand were negative. His status for Sunday's game has yet to be determined...Six of Texas' 13 hits went for doubles...Sunday's probable pitchers are John Danks for Chicago and Matt Harrison for Texas.