Mallex Smith ties career high with 4 hits, Tampa Bay Rays beat Chicago White Sox 5-4

The Tampa Bay Rays finally pulled out a close game to win for the first time since their opener. And they were more than a little relieved to stop the slide. Mallex Smith matched a career-high with four hits, Alex Colome worked out of a jam in the ninth inning and the Rays stopped an eight-game losing streak by hanging on to beat the Chicago White Sox 5-4 on a snowy and soggy Monday. A bullpen that blew late leads in two of the three games at Boston last weekend got the job done after a shaky start by Chris Archer (1-0). Colome escaped a second-and-third jam in the ninth by getting three straight groundouts, retiring Leury Garcia on a game-ending bouncer to first. Tampa Bay had not won since beating the Red Sox on March 29. Chicago lost for the sixth time in seven games and fell to 0-4 at Guaranteed Rate Field, matching its worst home start since 1987. Smith had an RBI triple in the fourth, then singled and scored in the sixth. He was also thrown out at the plate two times. Shortstop Tim Anderson nailed him trying to score on a fielder's choice grounder by Rob Refsnyder in the fourth. Smith was also thrown out by first baseman Jose Abreu in the eighth when he tried to steal home with runners on the corners. The Rays won after a skid that included five one-run losses. Joey Wendle led off a two-run fifth with his first homer . Tampa Bay's bullpen came through after Archer gave up four runs -- three earned -- and six hits in 52/3 innings. Sergio Romo pitched 1 1/3 innings, striking out Avisail Garcia with runners on second and third to end the eighth. Colome, who led the majors with 47 saves last year, escaped in the ninth after blowing two opportunities in Boston over the weekend.